In a well-developed compartment fire, fire investigators may find it difficult to do what?

In a well-developed compartment fire, fire investigators may encounter challenges in differentiating between movement and intensity patterns. This difficulty arises because, during a fully developed fire, the extreme heat and combustion can significantly alter the physical characteristics of the materials involved, making it hard to observe distinct patterns.

The movement patterns refer to how the fire spread within the area, while intensity patterns relate to the severity of the fire in different locations. Once a fire has reached the fully developed stage, the conditions can lead to unpredictable changes, such as flashover or backdraft, which can mask initial fire behavior. As a result, the signs that would typically help investigators determine how the fire behaved over time may be obscured, complicating the determination of its origin and spread.

While other options like estimating damage costs, determining the origin of the fire, and accessing testimonies are all critical aspects of fire investigation, they may still be feasible in certain circumstances despite the challenges posed by a fully developed fire. However, the complex nature of the flames, heat, and flow patterns makes distinguishing movement from intensity particularly problematic in this scenario.