Areas served · Oregon
Forensic Engineering in Portland
In and around Portland
What we investigate in Portland
Portland's structural losses turn on two forces the city is built over: Cascadia and Portland Hills fault seismic risk, and the West Hills slopes that slide when winter rains saturate them. We document what actually failed and why, a licensed engineer responds within 24 hours, and there are no travel charges.
The conditions we see in Portland
Portland carries very high earthquake risk. The Portland Hills fault zone runs directly beneath downtown, and DOGAMI models a magnitude 6.8 scenario producing violent shaking across the West Hills, while a Cascadia magnitude 9 event would shake the region for several minutes. The city has roughly 1,600 unreinforced masonry buildings, brick bearing walls with no reinforcing steel, and most remain unretrofitted and prone to partial or full collapse in a strong quake (City of Portland).
The West Hills between Burnside and US 26 sit on ancient and reactivating landslides that move when winter rain soaks their silt-mantled slopes. After a February 1996 storm dropped heavy rain over four days, USGS researchers mapped hundreds of landslides across the Portland area. Lower ground along the Willamette and Columbia holds saturated river-fill soils that can liquefy in a quake. Much of the housing is older detached wood frame, with about 27 percent built before 1940, carrying aging electrical and heating systems.
How we help in Portland
The evaluations Portland cases usually call for
- Seismic, slope, and foundation evaluation
Cracking and movement on a Portland lot can trace to a landslide reactivating on a West Hills slope, to seismic shaking, to liquefaction in river-fill soil, or to a construction defect. Our licensed engineers evaluate the structure and the ground together and document which one caused the damage.
Our structural engineering services- Landslide and water loss investigation
When a hillside slides or winter rain saturates a slope, we determine whether the damage traces to slope failure, drainage, foundation settlement, or a defect. Each finding rests on the physical evidence, not on assumption, so it holds up for the claim or in court.
Our forensic engineering services
Fire origin & cause
Fire origin and cause in Portland
A long, cool, wet season keeps furnaces and space heaters running for months, and much of Portland's older wood-frame stock still carries mid-century and knob-and-tube wiring that drives structure fires. The 2020 Oregon wildfire season, the most destructive on record, also pushed hazardous smoke across the metro, and conductive particles that settle inside equipment and on wiring can cause shorts weeks later. Reading these causes correctly is what protects the claim.
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 rule out ignition sources until the evidence supports a single accidental or incendiary cause. The investigator preserves that evidence before it is lost, documents the finding in writing, and testifies to it at deposition and trial.
Fires we investigate
- Residential and commercial fires
- Knob-and-tube and electrical wiring fires
- Heating-system and space-heater fires
- Vehicle fires
- Wildfire-smoke and equipment fires
Common questions
Forensic engineering in Portland, Oregon
A different question about your case? An engineer, not a call center, answers within 24 hours.
Is foundation movement in Portland from a landslide or from soil?
It can be either. Many West Hills lots sit on ancient and reactivating landslide terrain that moves in winter rains, while lower river-fill soils settle and can liquefy in a quake. We evaluate the movement pattern and the ground before assigning a cause.
Do you assess unreinforced masonry after seismic damage?
Yes. Portland's roughly 1,600 unreinforced masonry buildings need assessment that accounts for both their construction era and their vulnerability to shaking, and that is a specific part of a structural evaluation here.
Do you charge travel to reach Portland?
No. We work Portland-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.