Areas served · Washington
Forensic Engineering in Spokane
In and around Spokane
What we investigate in Spokane
Spokane sits at the dry edge of the Inland Northwest, where wind-driven fire off the surrounding grassland and timber and a long, hard heating season drive much of the loss we are called to evaluate. We determine what actually failed and document it to hold up, and a licensed engineer responds within 24 hours.
The conditions we see in Spokane
Spokane runs a wildland-urban interface on nearly every edge, where neighborhoods meet grass, ponderosa pine, and steep basalt draws. Dry summers and strong afternoon wind carry fire fast, and the FEMA National Risk Index rates wildfire a significant hazard for Spokane County. The long, cold heating season is the other half of the year, keeping furnaces, wood stoves, and space heaters in service for months and raising the ignition and failure questions we investigate.
The building stock is mixed-era. About 26 percent of Spokane housing predates 1939, and after the Great Fire of 1889 the downtown core rebuilt in brick, stone, and terra cotta that burns and collapses differently than modern framing. Roughly 30 percent went up as wood frame from the 1940s through the 1960s, much of it Craftsman, Colonial Revival, and Mid-Century Modern. Older masonry and aged wiring drive both the structural and the fire questions here.
How we help in Spokane
The evaluations Spokane cases usually call for
- Masonry and structural evaluation
From unreinforced brick and terra cotta downtown to post-war wood frame in the neighborhoods, we evaluate structural damage and determine whether the cause is age, foundation movement, water intrusion, or a construction defect. Our licensed engineers document the finding so it holds up under scrutiny.
Our structural engineering services- Water and construction-defect investigation
Freeze-thaw, roof and plumbing failures, and drainage problems all surface in this climate and often overlap with older workmanship. We investigate what caused the loss and separate a defect or a maintenance issue from covered damage, grounding each conclusion in the physical evidence at the scene.
Our forensic engineering services
Fire origin & cause
Fire origin and cause in Spokane
Spokane knows what wind-driven fire does to a neighborhood. On October 16, 1991, gale-force wind gusting past 60 mph toppled trees onto power lines whose arcing wires touched off dozens of fires across the county, killing two people and destroying more than a hundred homes. Interface fire remains the defining risk here, and when wind pushes fire from the wildland into homes, or a power line or heating system starts one indoors, reading the origin correctly is what protects the claim or the case.
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, including whether the fire was accidental or incendiary. We preserve the evidence before it is lost, document the finding, and testify to it at deposition and trial.
Fires we investigate
- Residential and commercial fires
- Wildland-urban interface fires
- Power-line and electrical fires
- Heating-system fires
- Vehicle fires
Common questions
Forensic engineering in Spokane, Washington
A different question about your case? An engineer, not a call center, answers within 24 hours.
Was a Spokane fire wildland-driven or something else?
That is exactly the question we resolve. Interface fire, a downed or arcing power line, and a failed heating or electrical system can leave similar damage, so we trace the burn patterns to the origin and let the evidence decide rather than assume.
Do you evaluate older masonry and pre-1939 buildings?
Yes. Much of Spokane's downtown and older housing is unreinforced brick, stone, and terra cotta that behaves differently than modern framing, and assessing its construction era is a specific part of a structural evaluation here.
Do you charge travel to reach Spokane?
No. We work Spokane-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.