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Welcome to What The Fire
The social media arm of Forensic Origin & Cause Investigations.
Through What The Fire, we explore the world of fire science and fire investigations. Our mission is to provide expert insights into fire-related incidents, share cautionary case studies, and offer an inside look at the life of a fire investigator. With over 10 years of experience in fire investigation, we are committed to educating those who are interested in fire with bite-sized easily digestable information.
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The Assumptions We Bring to Fire Scenes: Confirmation Bias in Origin and Cause Investigation
One of the biggest risks in forensic work is not always what we miss at a scene. Sometimes, it is what we think we already know.
Adapted from Vithyaa's interactive presentation for the Forensic Engineering Society of Australia, this article explores how confirmation bias can influence origin and cause investigations. It considers how early information, scene observations, witness accounts, suspected failure modes and stakeholder expectations can quietly shape the direction o
4 days ago5 min read
Fire Investigation Is Not Pattern Matching: Why Context Matters When Interpreting Fire Damage
Fire patterns can provide valuable information about how a fire developed, but they should never be treated as conclusions on their own. This article explores why context matters when interpreting fire damage, including the influence of ventilation, fuel packages, suppression activities and electrical evidence, and why the scientific method remains central to a defensible origin and cause determination.
Aug 126 min read
Data Centre Fires: An Emerging Area for Fire Investigation
Data centres are becoming a critical part of our infrastructure, but they also present a new level of complexity for fire investigators. With high-energy electrical systems, battery storage, UPS equipment, cooling infrastructure and extensive monitoring systems concentrated within one facility, determining origin and cause can require a very different investigative approach. As these facilities continue to grow across Australia, the fire investigation industry needs to be rea
Aug 45 min read
A Milestone That Means More: ANZIIF Award Finalist
Just shy of our second birthday, Forensic Origin and Cause Investigations has been named a finalist in the Service Provider to the Insurance Industry category at the 22nd ANZIIF Australian Insurance Industry Awards. To our knowledge, we are the first specialist fire forensics company to receive this recognition, marking an important milestone for our business and the profession.
Jul 103 min read
Firebombings Are Making Headlines. Here's What They Leave Behind.
Firebombings linked to organised crime are becoming increasingly common across Sydney and Melbourne, but the real impact extends far beyond the intended target. From a forensic fire investigator's perspective, these incidents present unique challenges as fire can destroy the very evidence needed to determine what happened. This article explores how fire investigations are conducted, the role insurers play in managing these complex claims, and why innocent businesses, families
Jul 83 min read
Driverless Vehicles in Mining: The Hidden Fire Risk Inside the Tyre
Driverless vehicles are changing the way mines operate, but removing the driver from the cab does not remove the fire risk. In heavy mining equipment, one of the lesser-known hazards is tyre pyrolysis, where heat builds inside a tyre and causes the rubber and internal components to chemically decompose. This can generate flammable gases and pressure, creating the potential for sudden tyre rupture, fire or explosion.
Jul 25 min read
A Turning Point for Fire Country: NSW's Landmark Cultural Fire Strategy, June 2026
Australia has always been a fire country.
Long before emergency warnings, aerial waterbombers and government-funded hazard reduction programs, Aboriginal people (Indigenous people of Australia also referred to as First Nations) understood how fire moved through the landscape. They knew when to burn, where to burn, how intensely to burn, and crucially, when to leave Country alone. Fire was not a disaster waiting to happen. It was something to understand, respect and use with
Jun 177 min read
Determining Origin and Cause in a Heavy Equipment Fire following Refuelling
When a machine catches fire just after refuelling, timing matters. In this case study, we explain how our investigation narrowed the origin to the fuel system, excluded electrical causes and identified the most probable fire scenario.
Jun 34 min read
Commercial Kitchen Owners Beware: Grease Build-Up Can Lead to Fire
Grease accumulation inside a commercial kitchen exhaust system is more than a cleaning issue — it is a fire risk. In this case study, our investigation identified the area of origin within the exhaust duct above the grease filters, where heavy grease deposits had built up and ignited during normal cooking operations. It is a reminder that exhaust systems must be cleaned according to actual kitchen use, not just a routine schedule.
May 253 min read
Case Study: Portable Battery Failure in a Caravan Fire
A forensic fire investigation case study examining how physical evidence identified a portable battery failure as the likely cause of a catastrophic caravan fire.
May 123 min read
Let’s Be Real: Recovery and Liability Are Important to Our Clients
When a fire occurs, the immediate priority is always safety. People need to be accounted for, emergency services need to do their job, and the site needs to be made safe. But once those immediate risks are under control, the timing of the fire investigation can make a significant difference to the outcome of a claim. Engaging a fire investigator early is not about slowing the claim down. In many cases, it does the opposite. It helps preserve key evidence, identify the likely
Apr 294 min read
Fire Investigation in Australia: Why Standards and Regulations Matter
Why standards and regulations matter in Australian fire investigations, and how they help investigators deliver thorough, evidence-based and defensible opinions.
Apr 154 min read
Case Study: Separating Origin from Spread in an Industrial Equipment Fire
Read how a fire investigation identified an electrical fault in industrial processing equipment and distinguished origin damage from fire spread.
Apr 93 min read
When War Hits Home: Cost of Living, Fire Risk and What Comes Next
As the war involving Israel, the United States and Iran unfolds, its ripple effects are being felt globally through rising costs, economic pressure and growing uncertainty. In this article, our founder explores how these conditions can influence fire risk, including the potential increase in deliberate fires and fraudulent insurance claims. Drawing parallels to patterns seen during COVID, this piece highlights why understanding the link between global instability and local fi
Apr 73 min read
Case Study: Heavy Vehicle Fire in a Remote Industrial Operation
Heavy vehicle fires in remote operations can escalate rapidly, particularly when combustible liquids, heated engine components and wind all combine in the same event. This case involved a late-model, heavily modified industrial truck that was destroyed by fire shortly after leaving a work area. The investigation highlighted how post-manufacture modifications can introduce new fire risks, and how scene examination, fire patterns and laboratory analysis can be used together to
Mar 114 min read
AI, Job Cuts and the Future of Fire Investigation
Every week there seems to be another headline about AI, layoffs and the “end” of professional work as we know it. Atlassian recently confirmed structural job cuts as it reshapes itself for an “AI-first” future, saying it retained people with skills needed to thrive in that model. Across Australia and globally, other companies are making similar moves, and the public conversation is quickly shifting from “Will AI affect jobs?” to “Whose job is next?”
It is a fair question for
Mar 104 min read
When the Music Stops: A Global History of Nightclub Fires and the Lessons We Still Refuse to Learn
In the early hours of New Year’s Day, a fire occurred within a basement nightclub in Switzerland, turning celebration into catastrophe. What reportedly began as a moment of spectacle, involving sparkler-style celebratory effects common in nightlife venues, rapidly escalated into a lethal fire environment. Within minutes, smoke, heat, and panic overwhelmed the space ending with lives lost.
Jan 55 min read
Australia’s 2025–26 Bushfire Season: Where we’re at by mid-December (and what’s next)
Australia’s summer fire season has kicked off fast. Early December brought home losses in NSW and Tasmania, and the outlook points to more spike days as heat, wind and cured fuels line up. We pay our respects to the firefighters who have died this season. In this mid-December update, we break down the current drivers, where risk is highest (WA, SA, Vic) and why NSW/QLD are set for a grass-fire ramp. Most importantly, what to watch over the next 4–6 weeks.
Dec 8, 20253 min read
Qualified ≠ Experienced: junk science is out, real fire science is in.
Not all “experts” are qualified. We explain why origin and cause is a science-led specialty, how to vet private fire investigators, and what standards actually matter.
Nov 5, 20253 min read
What We Can Learn from Australia’s Recent Explosions
The recent explosion at the Endeavour Mine in Cobar joins a troubling list of industrial and mining blasts across Australia. From underground detonations to chemical plant infernos, each event holds vital lessons for fire investigators, not just about ignition and cause, but about human systems, procedural gaps, and how we learn (or fail to). This piece explores what these incidents reveal about investigation practice, risk culture, and the enduring importance of asking why.
Oct 29, 20254 min read
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