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Tag Archive: residential fire investigation

Don’t Get Burned With Your Gas Grill!
September 29, 2020 2:26 pm Leave a Comment
If there is one thing Americans can agree upon, it is the enjoyment that comes from an outdoor barbeque. Whether a summertime cookout or a fall BBQ to watch a football game, we all love the fun and fellowship that comes from sharing a meal that was prepared outdoors on a grill or smoker. In fact, 64% of Americans own a grill or smoker. The great majority of these are LP fueled gas grills with comparatively few natural gas fired grills. These products can be enjoyed safely when designed, installed, and used in a proper manner. However, given the grill’s use of flammable fuel gas and high temperatures, the potential exists for things to go wrong and result in burn injuries or uncontained fires that spread to the surroundings. (more…)
Shedding Some Light on Fluorescent Light Fixture Fires
May 28, 2020 3:06 pm Leave a Comment
Lighting systems in buildings and other structures have undergone changes over the years. Many of these changes have occurred as manufacturers have developed more efficient lighting methods. Lighting loads can represent the largest category of electrical load in many buildings, thus improved lighting efficiency may significantly lower your power bill and can lengthen time between lamp changes. (more…)
Stop or I’ll Soot!!!
October 29, 2019 4:14 pm Leave a Comment
Fire. Something about fire touches our brainstems…both good and bad! Uncontrolled fire is terrifying and deadly to be sure. But the controlled burning of wood at a campfire or in a fireplace in your home almost can’t be beat, to my mind! For that very reason, a fairly common amenity to houses nowadays is the gas log fireplace insert.

When not installed properly, these logs will generate soot. These soot particles can leave the fireplace and meander. All. Over. Your. House. (more…)
Improper Fireplace Construction: Testing the Impact of Non-Compliant Clearance to Combustibles
January 12, 2017 9:47 am Leave a Comment
As the weather turns cold, many people use fireplaces to provide supplemental heat. The warmth from a fireplace is a comfort and the aesthetics of a glowing fire are a pleasure. However, there is nothing pleasurable about a residential house fire that results from an improperly built or used fireplace or chimney. (more…)
Firefighter Burned Due to Improper Industrial Oven Design and Operation
August 28, 2015 9:37 am Leave a Comment
Industrial ovens and furnaces are used in many manufacturing processes. One use of industrial ovens is for drying and curing coatings on fabrics.

We investigated a fire loss involving a very large oven, 10 stories high, used for curing coatings on an industrial fabric. A young firefighter was burned in response to this fire, one of a string of many fires that had occurred involving the oven.

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Top Ten Photography Tips for Field Investigators
November 17, 2014 9:51 am Leave a Comment
Here at Warren, we often rely on photographs provided by our clients to make preliminary assessments of incoming cases. Since we see quite a few client provided photos, and since we take plenty of photographs ourselves, we’ve developed an eye for what makes a good and useful field investigation photograph. We’ve also struggled with a few bad ones from time to time. Good photographs always end up saving time and money. To that end, here are ten tips to help you take better photographs every time. (more…)
CSST Testing, Can Energized Branch Circuits Cause Perforation?
September 22, 2014 10:37 am Leave a Comment
We get to work with some really cool guys and from time to time, we do some really cool things; “things that make you go hmmm,” (as Arsenio Hall used to say). (more…)
Fire Losses Involving Improper Construction and Installation of Fireplaces and Chimneys
January 9, 2014 9:03 am Leave a Comment
On a cold winters night a family is gathered in the living room of their home enjoying the warmth of their fireplace. After using the fireplace all day, they go off to bed to a nice restful sleep. However, they are soon rudely waked by the sound of a smoke alarm in the home. Rushing out into the cold night they can see smoke, but no flame in the home. Outside, they can see that the chase around the fireplace chimney is burning. The fire department is called and thankfully extinguishes the fire before it does widespread damage, however the family must leave the home for several months as repairs are made. (more…)
Winter Safety Tips for Portable Electric Generators
January 8, 2014 9:42 am Leave a Comment
During winter ice storms, power to residences is often lost and homeowners revert to using gasoline powered portable electric generators. It is often thought by some homeowners that leaving a generator outside in the severe weather may damage it or affect its performance and therefore resort to bringing the unit inside the shelter, typically, the garage. This is particularly hazardous when the generator is run for an extended period of time as carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning from the toxic exhaust gas can cause death. In addition, other hazards including electric shock, electrocution, fire and burns potentially can occur. (more…)
Explosion Investigations Uncover Answers
August 12, 2013 8:09 am Leave a Comment
The cause of an explosion can result from a chain of events in some cases. In many residential explosions and resulting fires, the facts can point to a number of potential causes. Certified fire and explosion investigators, like Warren engineers, have the experience and training to uncover and evaluate scenarios with high degrees of certainty. In some cases, like one residential explosion we investigated, the chain of events can start days before the loss.
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