Areas served · Montana
Forensic Engineering in Billings
In and around Billings
What we investigate in Billings
Billings losses cluster around the Yellowstone River, a hard continental winter, and a refinery-heavy industrial base along the rail corridor. We establish what actually failed, be it flood, frost, snow load, or a process fire, and document it to a standard that holds. A licensed engineer responds within 24 hours with no travel charges.
The conditions we see in Billings
The Yellowstone River is the defining flood hazard. In the June 2022 flood the river at Billings reached a record crest above 16 feet on June 15 and forced the city to shut its water treatment plant, and that flood water leaves foundations, framing, and mechanical systems to evaluate long after it recedes. The city also sits below the Rimrocks, Eagle Sandstone cliffs deposited along the Cretaceous seaway, sandstone interbedded with clay-rich shale that behaves differently beneath a slab than clean rock.
Housing skews to the 1970s through 1990s, with older brick and frame stock in the core and a large industrial and commercial base tied to the refineries, rail, and energy sector. Billings is a cold climate zone, and the City of Billings design criteria set a 30 psf minimum design roof snow load plus drifting. Foundations and roofs here are built for hard freeze, snow load, and plains wind, and eastern Montana summers bring thunderstorm hail and high wind.
How we help in Billings
The evaluations Billings cases usually call for
- Foundation, frost, and snow-load evaluation
Cracked walls, heaved slabs, and sagging roofs in this climate can trace to deep frost, flood saturation from the Yellowstone, the Rimrock-derived shale and terrace soils, or snow load past the 30 psf design minimum. Our licensed engineers evaluate the structure and the ground behavior together and document which one caused the damage.
Our structural engineering services- Flood and storm loss investigation
After a river flood or a summer thunderstorm, we determine what the water or wind did to the structure and whether the damage is from the event, a pre-existing condition, or a construction defect. On hail and wind claims we separate fresh storm damage from prior wear, based on the physical evidence.
Our forensic engineering services
Fire origin & cause
Fire origin and cause in Billings
Yellowstone County is refinery country: Phillips 66 in Billings, the former ExxonMobil plant now run by Par Pacific, and CHS in Laurel each run near 60,000 barrels a day, and process fires do occur. In March 2022 a fire at the ExxonMobil Billings Refinery in Lockwood sent flames and heavy smoke over the area before crews contained it. Industrial and petroleum fires turn on the sequence of failure across piping, equipment, and controls, and reconstructing that sequence is what a disputed loss ultimately rests on.
Our NAFI-certified investigators work to NFPA 921. They examine the scene systematically, trace burn and char patterns back to the area of origin, evaluate the electrical and mechanical systems, and eliminate causes until the evidence supports one conclusion, accidental or incendiary. The investigator preserves the physical evidence before it is lost, documents the finding, and testifies to it at deposition and trial.
Fires we investigate
- Refinery, petroleum, and industrial fires and explosions
- Heating-system fires
- Electrical and appliance fires
- Residential and commercial fires
- Vehicle fires
Common questions
Forensic engineering in Billings, Montana
A different question about your case? An engineer, not a call center, answers within 24 hours.
Is foundation movement in Billings from frost or from the soil?
It can be either, and sometimes both. Deep winter frost heaves footings, and the Rimrock-derived shale and river-terrace soils beneath the valley move under moisture change. We evaluate the pattern and the conditions to determine the cause rather than assume it.
Can you assess flood damage after the Yellowstone recedes?
Yes. Much of the structural evidence remains once the water drops. We evaluate the foundation, framing, and mechanical systems to document what the flood caused versus what predated it.
Do you charge travel to reach Billings?
No. We work Billings-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.