Electrical fires in the home can be devastating not only to the home and its contents, but also to the lives of those that inhabit the home. Electrical fires are the leading cause of fires in the home killing hundreds each year. However, the most important tool in curbing the alarming rate of electrical home fires is to find out why the fire started in the first place. Did an electrical device in your home catch fire? A thorough fire cause and origin investigation must be conducted in order to answer that question.
Our entire lives are surrounded by electricity. It powers our homes and our appliances. We use electricity to charge our cell phones and make our morning cup of coffee. Electricity envelops us; however, that same power that we rely on so heavily can also become deadly. When an electrical fire destroys a home and takes lives, the task of determining where the electrical fire originated can seem incredibly daunting.
In an average household, there are a number of electrical devices plugged into the outlets that provide electricity to the house. When a fire occurs, it is absolutely necessary to conduct a thorough cause and origin investigation to determine how the fire started and where it started. The first step in that process is to interpret patterns left by the fire, heat and smoke to isolate the area of origin. Once the area of origin has been identified, the contents of that area must be carefully sifted for evidence pointing to the cause of the fire itself.
Cause and origin investigations involve a number of different disciplines to include fire science, fire chemistry and thermodynamics. Qualified fire investigators are those that are familiar with the various disciplines. The most widely recognized certification for fire investigators is through the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and is known as CFI-1 (Certified Fire Investigator 1).
Often the process of determining cause and origin begins with an investigation by the local fire marshal. However, depending on the location of the fire, county resources may not allow for a complete cause and origin investigation in a matter that is not related to a criminal act or arson. Local municipalities often do not have the resources to devote to investigations regarding civil lawsuits nor do they always have investigators that are NFPA Certified Fire Investigators to make a cause and origin determination. As a result, individuals are often left with more questions than answers as they try to determine what caused their home to burn or what injured or killed their loved ones.
If you have experienced a fire in your home that damaged the homes, contents or resulted in the injury or death of someone in the home, the most important step you can take to obtain answers as to why the fire started is to preserve the scene of the fire until an NFPA Certified Fire Investigator can participate in the cause and origin analysis. If the scene is cleared or disturbed, the vital pieces of evidence that could point to the source could be lost. Common causes of electrical device fires can range from a product that was subject to a recall to exploding lithium-ion batteries. However, without the crucial roadmap left by the fire, the ultimate cause may never be known.
Written by*:
Shalimar S. Wallis
WATTS GUERRA LLP
4 Dominion Drive, Bldg 3, Suite 100
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Phone (210) 447-0500
Email: swallis@guerrallp.com
* This information is provided to supply information relating to electrical fires, and should not be received as legal advice. Legal advice is only given to persons or entities with whom Watts Guerra LLP has established an attorney-client relationship. If you have a lawyer, you should consult with your own attorney, and rely upon his or her advice, rather than the information contained herein.
© Watts Guerra LLP 2015
