Areas served · California
Forensic Engineering in Burbank
In and around Burbank
What we investigate in Burbank
Burbank faces its risk on two fronts: wildfire pushed down off the Verdugo Mountains on Santa Ana winds, and the faults running beneath a city built mostly before modern seismic code. We investigate what actually failed and document it to a standard that holds, and a licensed engineer responds within 24 hours.
The conditions we see in Burbank
Burbank sits at the base of the Verdugo Mountains and is crossed by the Verdugo fault, a northeast-dipping reverse fault about 21 kilometers long that the Southern California Earthquake Data Center puts at probable magnitudes near 6.0 to 6.8, with its most recent surface rupture in the Holocene. The Sierra Madre fault system along the San Gabriel front adds to the regional shaking exposure. That ground motion meets a housing stock that largely predates modern seismic detailing.
The median home here was built in 1952 and roughly 13.5 percent predate 1940, so most of the city's 48,000 or so housing units went up before current seismic and electrical codes. Detached single-family houses, mostly wood-frame, account for about 45 percent, with prewar apartments and soft-story multifamily making up much of the balance. The foothills carry a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, and a Mediterranean climate delivers about 17 inches a year in short, hard bursts. The city took 3.42 inches on a single Christmas Eve in 2025, and rain like that on burn-scarred slopes raises flood and debris-flow risk.
How we help in Burbank
The evaluations Burbank cases usually call for
- Seismic and foundation evaluation
When a wall cracks or a floor separates in Burbank's older wood-frame or soft-story buildings, the question is whether it is seismic movement, foundation settlement, or a construction defect. Our licensed engineers evaluate the structure and the ground behavior together and document which cause is responsible.
Our structural engineering services- Wildfire and water loss investigation
After a wind-driven fire or an intense winter downpour, we determine whether the loss came from wildfire and ember exposure, wind-driven rain, debris flow off the foothills, or a condition that predated the event. Every finding rests on the physical evidence rather than assumption.
Our forensic engineering services
Fire origin & cause
Fire origin and cause in Burbank
The Verdugo Mountains rise straight above Burbank's north and east edges, and they burn. The 2017 La Tuna Fire ran across more than 7,000 acres of that range and forced evacuations in Burbank before it was contained, ranking among the larger wildfires in Los Angeles city history. Santa Ana winds can push well past 40 mph at very low humidity, carrying embers off the slopes into the foothill neighborhoods along the wildland-urban interface. Add the concentrated fire load of the city's studio, media, and production facilities, and the range of what can start a fire here is wide. Reading origin and cause correctly, and reading it early, is what settles the loss.
Our NAFI-certified investigators work to NFPA 921. They examine the scene systematically, trace char and burn patterns back to the area of origin, evaluate the electrical and mechanical systems, and rule out causes until the evidence supports one, including whether the fire was accidental or incendiary. We preserve that evidence before it is lost, then stand behind the finding in a written report and at deposition and trial.
Fires we investigate
- Residential and commercial fires
- Wildfire and wind-driven ember exposure
- Electrical and appliance fires in aging wiring
- Studio, media, and industrial-facility fires
- Vehicle fires
Common questions
Forensic engineering in Burbank, California
A different question about your case? An engineer, not a call center, answers within 24 hours.
Is cracking in an older Burbank home from an earthquake or from settlement?
It can be either. The Verdugo and Sierra Madre faults put real ground motion on stock built mostly before modern seismic code, but foundation settlement and defects crack walls the same way. We evaluate the damage pattern and the site before assigning a cause.
Can you determine whether wildfire or embers caused the loss?
Yes. Ember ignition, radiant heat, and direct flame each leave a distinct signature, and separating them from an unrelated fire or a pre-existing condition is central to a foothill claim here. We base the conclusion on the evidence at the property.
Do you charge travel to reach Burbank?
No. We work Burbank-area cases from our Omaha lab and Los Angeles office with no travel charges, and a licensed engineer responds within 24 hours.
Have a loss that needs answers?
Tell us what happened. An engineer, not a call center, will review your case.