Fire Investigation

Thorough and Detailed Fire Investigation Services

Every 15 seconds a fire department responds to a fire somewhere in the United States. The National Fire Protection Association estimates that 86,000 of the 614,000 structural fires in the United States in a recent year were of an incendiary or suspicious nature. Vehicle fires of suspicious origin involving automobiles, trucks, farm machinery and industrial equipment, marine vessels, and vehicle cargo are also on the rise.

Origin and Cause

Our engineers receive specialized training in fire investigation. They perform fire investigations for a wide variety of cases including:

Automobile fires / stolen recovered
Arson investigation
Electrical appliance and/or wiring malfunctions
Fireplace or furnace misuse
Fires and explosions
Heating equipment and system failures
Industrial equipment failures / malfunctions
Marine fire investigations

Initial Investigations

The investigation begins with a visual overview. A site inspection is performed for point of origin determination, mapping, interviewing, and photographic survey. Physical evidence should, if possible, be retrieved and preserved for laboratory testing.

Analysis

Suspected evidence is researched and tested to narrow the search and isolate the cause of the fire. Examinations of components may be performed to determine the cause of any malfunctions, improper installation, lack of servicing, or careless use or abuse of equipment. Operating temperature profiles of equipment and devices must be found. Sample may need to be analyzed by a laboratory to determine the presence of an accelerant.

Fire Investigation Conclusions

Our engineers leverage profound expert knowledge from within our company as well as other experts in member firms throughout North America. The result is the generation of an easily understood written document produced from knowledge rather than supposition, stating the cause/origin relationship of a particular fire. If the evidence can be found, the scientific our engineers’ approach will reveal it.