Fire Investigation

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:
I-ENG-A® members often perform fire investigations for a wide variety of cases including:

Initial Investigations:
The investigation begins with a visual overview. A site inspection is performed for point of origin determination, mapping, interviewing, and photographic documentation. Physical evidence is 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. Samples may need to be analyzed by a laboratory to determine the presence of an accelerant.

Conclusions:
I-ENG-A® members leverage expert knowledge from within their own companies 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 I-ENG-A® approach will usually reveal it.