When a battery energy storage system (BESS) burns, explodes, or fails, the technical cause decides everything that follows — the coverage position, the recovery, the liability, the design or operating fix, and whether it happens again. Yet lithium-ion losses are closed as “undetermined” far more often than they should be, because a battery fire is not an ordinary fire. It sits at the intersection of four disciplines: battery-system failure, electrical engineering, fire and explosion science, and the codes and standards that govern energy storage.
MC Forensics investigates lithium-ion battery losses — including today’s prevailing lithium iron phosphate (LFP) systems as well as NMC — across utility- and grid-scale storage. We work the full intersection, from the initiating cell event through propagation, off-gassing, and deflagration to total loss, and deliver a cause that is determinable, documented, and defensible.
Submit a BESS fire assignment →For an insurer, adjuster, or counsel, a cause finding is not academic — it is the difference between a recovery and a write-off.
Not every loss yields a determinable cause — sometimes critical evidence is gone before anyone competent arrives — but far more are recoverable than the “undetermined” rate suggests. The real question is whether the loss was investigated with the integrated expertise a battery system demands, and early enough to still find the answer.
The evidence that establishes cause — specific cells and modules, BMS and control records, operating and protection data — is fragile, and is disturbed or discarded during make-safe and salvage. Every week that passes before a qualified investigator is engaged narrows the window in which the cause can still be determined. The single most valuable decision in a battery-fire claim is often the earliest one. We can advise on preserving the scene by phone before we attend.
Every investigation follows the systematic methodology of NFPA 921, extended with the battery-specific product, installation, and laboratory standards above. NFPA 921 is the baseline for fire and explosion investigation — it is not written for lithium-ion energy storage, and on its own it is not enough. Our conclusions are documented to be defensible: reasoned from the evidence, with a clean chain of custody, able to withstand an opposing expert and a courtroom.
Investigations are led by a chartered professional engineer and Certified Fire & Explosion Investigator (CFEI), grounded in NFPA 921, with integrated command of battery systems, electrical engineering, fire and explosion science, and energy-storage codes. Coverage across lithium-ion chemistries — including lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) — from commercial to utility-scale systems.
An overview of our capability across battery storage fire and explosion investigation — services, methodology, and the standards our findings are built on.
Brochure DownloadEngage an independent, CFEI-certified investigation early — evidence preservation begins on day one.
Download “BESS Fire & Explosion Risk Brochure”
Our forensic engineering team provides professional analysis and expert testimony to strengthen your case. Don’t navigate complex technical evidence alone. Call Us Today (416) 900 6066
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