The effect of fire outbreaks on lives and properties is devastating and thoroughly destructive. When it breaks out, fire razes everything in its path without mercy. Sometimes these fire outbreaks are caused by the negligence of some other person or the intentional action of that person. When a third party causes it, legal action can be instituted against them using fire outbreak animation to capture all the damage caused.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, a fire department responded to a fire incident in the US every 23 seconds in 2021. The number increased to 1.35 million fires that year. These fires led to 3,800 civilian deaths, with a report of fire injuries of 14,700 people. Properties were not left out of the fire. The cumulative estimate of property damage in the US in 2021 due to fire was $15.9 billion.
A fire can be caused in various ways. It could be caused by a little harmless cigarette or a deliberate act of arson. Whichever may be the case, the result can still be tragic. It leaves nothing in its path, causing loss of lives, injuries, and economic damage.
Hence, in any of these situations, the critical question remains, “What is the cause of the fire?”
Since fire outbreak animations are perfect for showing the progression of a thing, it is ideal for answering this essential question in a court or out-of-court case.
Use Cases For Fire Outbreak Animation
Fire outbreaks are caused by different factors. They lead to untold crises in a family’s life, including emotional trauma, injuries, loss of lives, and damage to properties. However, with fire outbreak animation, it may be easier to prove the cause of the incident and attain justice in the court of justice.
Here are some of the use cases for fire outbreak animation:
- Intentional Acts
According to reports, in the five years from 2014 to 2018, there were 52,260 intentional structural fires in the United States. Each year, these fires result in an estimated 950 civilian injuries, 400 civilian deaths, and $815 million in direct property damage.
In fire outbreak cases, there could be a question of arson or a mistake. In conjunction with forensic investigation, fire outbreak animation can be used to answer the question of intentionality while relying on accurate scientific backing.
An instance of an arson case is the case of People v. Duty.
- Hot work
Hot work around a structure can also lead to a fire outbreak.
Between 2014 and 2018, there were 4,580 structure fires involving hot work in the US annually. These fires resulted in an annual average of $484 million in direct property damage, 171 injuries to civilians, and 22 civilian fatalities.
In addition, welding torches were the most frequently involved hot work equipment type, accounting for 36% of all fires. Negligence during hot work with equipment such as welding, cutting, soldering, heat-treating, and burners can lead to a fire incident.
Fire outbreak animations can showcase how hot work causes a fire outbreak, whether by negligence or product defect.
- Home heating fires
The primary source of home fires in the United States is heating equipment. From 2014 to 2018, local fire departments responded to an estimated 48,530 fires involving heating equipment annually.
Furthermore, each year, these fires cause the loss of 500 human lives. An additional 1,350 civilian injuries and $1.1 billion in immediate property damage have also been recorded.
Failure to clean was the leading cause of home heating fires (25%), and it mostly came from solid-fueled heating equipment, primarily chimneys.
Fire outbreaks caused by home heating fires are sometimes difficult to prove until due expert inspection and investigation have been carried out. Hence, the findings can be depicted on a screen for the jury and judge to view using fire outbreak animation.
- Fireworks
In 2018, local US fire departments received reports of approximately 19,500 fires caused by fireworks. These fires resulted in $105 million in direct property damage, 46 civilian injuries, and five civilian fatalities.
No doubt, fireworks may help create such happy and exhilarating feelings on special occasions. However, they may still cause awful fire incidents if improperly controlled.
Therefore, an investigation is paramount if a fire is suspected of being caused by fireworks, causing severe injuries and damage. The findings, if positive, can be portrayed using a fire outbreak animation to show how the fireworks started the fire.
- Home Electrical Fires
Between 2015 and 2019, it is estimated that 46,700 residential fires involving electrical failure or malfunction occurred annually.
These fires are thought to have resulted in an estimated 390 human fatalities, 1,330 civilian injuries, and $1.5 billion in direct property damage annually.
Electrical failures or malfunctions accounted for 13% of house structure fires, placing them as the second-leading cause of electrical home fires.
Electrical fires can be caused by the negligence of the electrical company or the maintenance agency. The fault can be traced to the defaulter using fire outbreak animation.
There are even more causes of fire outbreaks reported by the National Fire Protection Association.
Hence, whatever the situation, fire outbreak animation can be used to show the cause and damage the fire caused to people in every respect.
Conclusion
Most of the time, fire outbreak animation is usually a product of forensic investigation. This attention to the minutest facts makes it a formidable means of explaining evidence, testimonies, or events related to fire outbreaks. Forensic animators at Fox-AE are aware of this fact. Hence, they are capable of creating a fire outbreak animation illustrating the cause and extent of damage caused.
