Do I Have to Save the Entire Fire Scene?

20 Tips for Determining the Cause of a Fire Loss Without Spoiling the Evidence

1. To subrogate a fire loss, you must determine the causes of the loss.
2. Knowing the causes of the fire loss, you can determine the responsible parties.
3. Fires result from the combination of a fuel and an ignition source.
4. Identify potential ignition source
5. Identify potential fuels.
6. Identify the sequence of events that caused the ignition source and fuel to come together.
7. Liquids don't burn, vapors do.
8. Natural gas is lighter than air.
9. If natural gas is the fuel, the fire is probably up high.
10. Debris removal may be necessary to get to the evidence.
11. Debris removal is done after documentation; spoliation is a concern, but needlessly putting parties on notice is as big a concern.
12. As soon as possible, potential parties are identified and put on notice.
13. For a gas fire, you may want to pressure test the gas piping.
14. Do not use test pressures that are too high for testing gas lines.
15. A gas test can eliminate a pre-fire gas leak but will not necessarily prove it.
16. Unscrewing joints may destroy evidence: don't do it.
17. Identify all appliances that need to be collected.
18. All parties need to agree on the evidence to be saved.
19. All parties need to agree on a written protocol for all tests before the testing is performed.
20. Don't forget things in the origin area that need to be evaluated.

Conclusions:

• It is critical to preserve whatever evidence can be saved for as long as reasonably possible.
• Potential claimants must give notice to all interested parties as quickly as possible.
• There are high standards when it comes to saving evidence from a fire loss.
• A defendant has a duty to investigate once it is provided a notice of a fire loss.
• A defendant has to be allowed a reasonable time to perform their investigation.
• You do not have to save the entire fire scene.