accelerant
n. countablen. a substance that makes a fire burn faster or more easily. It is often used to start a fire or to make it spread more quickly.
n. a substance that increases the speed or intensity of a chemical reaction, particularly combustion. Often used in forensic contexts to identify materials used to ignite a fire.
The fire started because someone used an accelerant.
Fire investigators found traces of an accelerant in the basement, suggesting the blaze was not an accident.
While gasoline is a common accelerant, forensic chemists must also test for less volatile substances like alcohol or lighter fluid to determine the fire's origin.
From accelerate + -ant (suffix forming agent nouns from verbs, or forming adjectives with senses of being prone or tending to do the actions of verbs).