if a significant volume of gasoline was poured. >> and avato wasn't the least bit suspicious of paul's behavior on the night of the fire. >> it's not unusual for people in a fire to exit a building through the way that they're most comfortable exiting. if they typically come and go through the front door, no matter where they are in the house, they'll exit through the front door. >> avato told local investigators that he believed the fire was accidental, and he was roundly dismissed. >> they portrayed him in the media that he was, you know, an apprentice fire investigator that really was not experienced and really didn't have the qualifications to be offering opinions. >> he was treated like dirt by the locals and by the attorneys involved in this case. >> when the defense team learned about steve avato's opinion that the fire was an accident, they conducted their own investigation and hired dr. rick