Commercial Fire and Explosion Investigations at Meier Fire

Restaurant, Retail, Gas Station, Factory, Warehouse Fires

When a fire or explosion damages a business, you need an expert in Commercial Fire and Explosion Investigations. Meier Fire delivers that expertise. Richard Meier’s manufacturing background gives him a distinct advantage: deeper insight into commercial and industrial occupancies, equipment, and practices than the average fire investigator.

Meier Fire Investigation, one of the US's leading fire and explosion investigation firms, completed this commercial fire investigation worth over $100,000,000USD. Investigation was performed by Richard Meier, CFEI — This commercial fire investigation by Richard Meier, CFEI was valued at over $100M.

Commercial Fire and Explosion Investigations are complex.

Commercial and industrial fires are more complex than typical house fires – and they remain a major safety and economic issue. In 2023, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 110,000 nonresidential building fires, resulting in 130 deaths, 1,200 injuries, and more than $3.1 billion in property loss (USFA DATA SOURCE). The NFPA data reported in 2024 119,500 non-residential structure fires and an estimated 170 civilian deaths (NFPA DATE SOURCE).

Commercial and Industrial fires and explosions are more complex than your average house fire. They involve more fire codes, more regulations and usually more parties in the lawsuit. There’s OSHA, worker’s comp issues, industry regulations and standards on top on local, state and federal laws and codes.

Beyond that, the relationships between workers, supervisors, company owners, landlords and tenant make seeing a clear picture of responsibility harder. Richard Meier clears out the noise and gets to the root of origin, cause and responsibility.

We can help whether you represent:

the injured,
the business owner,
the landlord or property owner,
an insurance company
or any combination of these…

Independent Scientific Fire Investigations in Commercial Fires and Explosions

The facts are the facts and science is the science. We do commercial fire and explosion investigations for both plaintiffs and defense. No matter what side you represent, we’ll give you honest answers based on sound science. After working with Meier Fire Investigation, you’ll know where your case stands and that facts so that you and your client can make informed decisions for the best possible case outcome.

Commercial Fire Investigations

At Meier Fire we’ve seen all kinds of commercial fires, including:

Electrical fires in retail and warehouse spaces
Fires and explosions in chemical plants
Fires and injuries in nursing and group homes
Commercial vehicle fires
Lithium Ion Battery Fires

Commercial Fires at Meier Fire Investigation

Commercial Fire Investigation for Business Owners

Commercial fires can be devastating for the business owner. There’s loss of property, loss of business, insurance issues and the potential for liability for injuries and damage. We work with your attorney and/or insurance company to get to the root cause of the fire and help defend your interests, whether you are the plaintiff, defendant, or both.

Commercial Fire Injury Investigations at Meier Fire.

Injured in a Commercial Fire?

Workers should be safe at their jobs. We help injured workers by working with their lawyers to find answers for their injuries on the job due to a fire or explosion. Is it a faulty product, a bad warning or an unsafe working condition? Was it something else? We help determined what happened, why it happens and who bears the responsibility for the accident.

Frequently Asked questions about Commercial Fires

What causes commercial fires?

Every fire is unique – that’s why you need a versatile and experienced Commercial Fire Investigation expert, like Richard Meier. But, there definitely are some common causes.

Commercial Fire Cause	How many?	Data Source
Cooking	29.7% of Non-residential Fires	FEMA
Intentional (arson)	12,300 (approx.) fires (2023)	FEMA
Accidental	13.3%	FEMA

Commercial fire causes

What is the most common type of commercial fire?

Cooking fires are the most common type of commercial fires.

When do most commercial fires occur?

Commercial fires can occur at anytime of day, but the most serious ones often happen at night or on weekends when the business is unattended. Commercial fires can occur at any time of day, but fires that start at night or on weekends — when a business is unoccupied — often burn longer before detection and cause disproportionately more property damage. https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/research/nfpa-research/fire-statistical-reports/fires-by-occupancy-or-property-type

Meier Fire Areas Of Expertise That Compliment Our Commercial Fire Investigations

Fire Codes: Rich Meier is a Fire Code Expert

Explosion Investigations: Not all commercial accidents are fires – we investigate explosions in commercial structures.

Battery Fires & Explosions: Lithium ion batteries power phones, computers and tools that businesses depend on. We are battery fire investigation experts. Learn more about battery fire risks from the NFPA

Some Notable Commercial Fire and Explosion Investigations

Richard Meier’s commercial fire and explosion cases of note: