FIRE INVESTIGATION ARTICLE
What Information Helps at the Start of a Fire Investigation?
The information available before a site inspection can significantly affect investigation planning. This article discusses useful materials such as photographs, witness information, fire department documentation, equipment information, loss timelines, and information concerning changes made to the scene.
By Kirk LuMaye, PE | Updated October 2026 | 6 Minute Read
Whether you’re an adjuster or an investigator, approaching a fire scene for the first time may feel overwhelming. You might find yourself in the midst of a flurry of occupants, their family and friends, contractors, fire personnel, insurance representatives, and other investigators. Gathering the right information before or early in the site inspection can help make the investigation much more manageable and productive. Photographs, security-camera footage, witness statements, fire department reports, news articles, and other sources can all help jump-start the process and give the investigator a better understanding of what may have occurred.
Start With the Basic Circumstances of the Loss
Prior to stepping foot on scene, it is important to have the basic facts of the incident. These may include the date and time of the incident, which agencies responded, whether there were any injuries, whether the site is accessible, whether any cleanup work is scheduled, and, perhaps most importantly, what is reported to have actually happened.
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Depending on your role, this information can be obtained from either the insured or an adjuster. It is usually best to keep any interviews short and focused on the basic facts at this point. A more in-depth interview can be conducted once you are on scene and better able to understand the information being conveyed to you.
Before seeing the scene, it can be difficult to understand references to specific rooms, equipment, locations, or conditions. After the walkthrough, you can ask much better follow-up questions.
It is also important, wherever practical, to communicate the importance of avoiding unnecessary movement, disposal, cleanup, or alteration of the scene until the appropriate examinations have taken place.
Pre-Inspection Research
Start by simply researching what is known about the incident. News websites are a great starting point, as they often contain a basic summary of the incident and sometimes comments from fire department personnel.
Speaking of which, fire departments often have social-media pages where they post photographs and videos of incidents. Sometimes they’ll even post a description of the incident. Facebook and Instagram are among the most common places you’ll find this information.
In fact, social media in general can be a great place to find photographs and videos related to an incident. Local news pages and neighborhood groups are often good places to search.
​Remember to use this information as leads rather than established facts, as early reports are often incomplete or even incorrect.
It is also a good idea to understand the property you’ll be inspecting as well as you can beforehand. Pull satellite imagery from sources such as Google Maps and Bing Maps. Take a look at Google Street View imagery as well.
Historical imagery may also be valuable. Google Street View allows you to view imagery from previous dates, while historical aerial imagery is available through Google Earth. Look for changes to the property, additions, exterior equipment, recent construction, or other features that may warrant attention during the inspection.
Real-estate websites can also be valuable tools, providing basic information about the property such as square footage, number of bedrooms, types of heating and cooling systems, the year the property was built, and when it was last sold. Interior listing photographs may document the pre-loss layout and the locations of appliances or equipment. You might even be lucky enough to find a floor plan.
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Figure 1. Shows the Google Earth historical imagery button
If you have information indicating that certain products may have been involved, this is also a good time to conduct some preliminary research. You may not have the exact make or model of the product at this stage, but a general search of the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website may identify recalls involving similar products and give you an idea of what to look for when you are on scene.
This is also a good time to request the fire department report, as it may take some time to arrive.
Interviews
One of the first things you’ll likely want to do after your initial walkthrough is conduct interviews.
People you may want to interview include the insured, other occupants, tenants, witnesses, and neighbors. You likely won’t conduct all of your interviews right at the start, but it is important to gather some background information regarding the incident.
A basic timeline is often a good place to begin. Start at the beginning of the day, or even the previous day if that may be useful. People often remember bits of information they might otherwise consider unimportant.
Work your way toward the time of the incident. Find out what they were doing in the hours leading up to it. Ask when they left or arrived and when anyone last entered the room or building where the incident occurred.
Then move toward basic observations. What do they remember seeing, hearing, or smelling? Who else do they remember being there?
This is also a good time to ask about recent construction, home repairs, or issues involving any of the home’s systems. Go back several years if appropriate. You never know what may become relevant later.
Find out whether anything about the scene has changed since the incident occurred. Have any products been moved or removed? Has anyone been on site altering anything?
Focus first on what the witness personally saw, heard, smelled, or did, rather than on what they believe caused the fire.
Photos and Videos Can Be Invaluable
We live in a time when cameras are nearly everywhere. It is quite common for witnesses to have taken photographs or videos of an incident. Security cameras, including doorbell cameras, are becoming increasingly common as well.
Check with the property owner, tenants, and neighbors to see what they may have recorded. You’ll want to secure any relevant footage early in the investigation because newer footage may overwrite recordings from the date of the incident.
Product Information
Product information can help identify equipment requiring closer examination, support technical research, and identify potentially interested parties if a joint examination later becomes necessary.
Once you have a general idea of where the fire originated, determine what appliances, electronics, and other items may have been energized at the time. During interviews, ask whether it is known where and how those items were connected and whether they were in use at the time.
​Find out their approximate age, where they were purchased, and what brands they were. It is unlikely that someone will remember a specific model number, but they may be able to describe the product’s features and appearance well enough to assist with later research.
Ask whether purchase records are available. Also ask whether there had been any problems with the products or whether any repairs had been performed.
Preparing for the Site Investigation
The purpose of gathering this information early in the investigation is not to help you decide what likely caused the fire before fully examining the scene. Rather, it is to help you be better prepared when you arrive on scene and begin your inspection.
Having this information ahead of time can help you determine what should be documented, what deserves additional attention, and which potentially interested parties may need to be notified before a joint examination.
This early data collection is only the beginning of the investigative process, but it is an important part of it. Information gathered early in the investigation, together with the scene examination, interviews, records review, laboratory examination, testing, and follow-up inspections, can all contribute to a more complete investigation.
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