Property Loss ~ FIRE INVESTIGATION


Our fire investigation services fall into the following categories:

  1. Origin & cause investigations
  2. Vehicle fire investigations
  3. Fire suppression analysis
  4. Fire modeling


Fire and Explosion Origin & Cause

Fire and explosion origin and cause determination is a specialized field of investigation that requires a sound understanding of the principles of fire development and significant hands-on experience. The engineers in Sintra Engineering's property loss investigation group have investigated hundreds of fires and explosions involving a range of causes, including arson, component failure, design deficiency, faulty installation and compromised equipment. This extensive experience allows us to provide complete origin and cause analysis services.

We also realize that your fire investigation needs don't always fall during regular office hours. This means that our investigators can usually respond to the scene of a fire seven days a week, at any time of day.

The following list details the services that our fire investigators can provide:

  • recording the scene and preserving relevant information and evidence from the scene;
  • assessing the extent of damage;
  • testing for accelerants;
  • evaluating burn and smoke patterns;
  • determining the seat of explosion and dispersion patterns;
  • determining both the origin and the cause of the fire/explosion;
  • examining components with respect to product (manufacturer) liability.



Vehicle Fires

Vehicle fire investigation is a specialized area of fire investigation that requires a solid understanding of the nature of fire dynamics within tight enclosures. Investigators also need to possess knowledge of the mechanical and operational characteristics of motor vehicles. Without a comprehensive background in both fields, fire investigators who are untrained in the special circumstances surrounding vehicle fires can sometimes mistakenly misidentify the source of a fire.

Our fire investigators are experienced in both the investigation of vehicle mechanical failures and fire development and spread within the vehicle enclosure.



Fire Suppression

Most of us understand that a fire is an incredibly destructive event that often destroys the evidence that might be useful in determining its cause. What is not so well understood is the disruptive force of fire suppression activities.

Because our engineers are familiar with fire suppression techniques, they are able to determine what damage arose from the fire itself, and what damage came about when the fire was brought under control and extinguished. This familiarity with fire suppression also helps our investigators to evaluate whether there were any problems or concerns with the way the fire suppression was handled.



Fire Modeling

Fire Modeling is an engineering tool used to estimate fire and smoke spread for specific fire situations. Fire models can be either physical scale models or computer generated mathematical models. Construction of scale models (physical models) can often provide insight into the properties of fire, but may not provide the detail required and are often limited by size, cost and geometry.

Computer fire modeling allows technical personnel to simulate a particular fire without having to undertake an expensive and potentially dangerous full-scale recreation of the fire . It also allows the user to alter various input conditions in order to determine the effect that the variations would have had on the fire in question. Fire modeling is a safe and cost-effective alternative to full-scale fire experiments.

Sintra Engineering has the training, expertise and facilities to analyze fire growth, smoke spread, and sprinkler system activation using comprehensive and accurate computer modeling techniques.