SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - Thousands of fires are investigated every year to see if flammable liquids were used to ignite the flames.

The arson division in Springfield couldn't detect these liquids easily without the help of animals.

Special Agent Bobby Joe Brown said arson K-9's have remarkable abilities.

"A dog has between 250 to 275,000 nasal receptors," Brown said. "A human has six to 8,000. That's why they can smell the accelerant we may not know is there."

There are seven certified K-9's in the state, and Brown and his dog Sasha are the newest weapons against arson.

"We use the K-9's to do an investigation, and see if we have an ignition liquid like gasoline, kerosene, something like that, that they use to set the fire with," Brown said.

Dogs like Sasha can quickly pinpoint accelerant residue, which can save investigators time at the fire scene.

"We could go to a fire scene and spend days, and may never locate the ignitable liquid," Brown said. "With a K-9, if there is an ignitable liquid, they can go in and find it in a matter of minutes."

Since 1993, State Farm's Arson Dog Program has put more than 400 dogs and their partners to work in more than 40 states. 

"We probably wouldn't have the dogs throughout the United States if it wasn't for State Farm, " Brown said.

Brown completed the month-long program at the New Hampshire Fire Training Academy in April. Since then, Brown and Sasha have become a team and investigated more than 15 fire in central Illinois.

"They're part of your family," Brown said. "They are called your K-9 partner because you're with them 24 hours, 7 days a week."Â