Video Release Highlights Data Collection Process for the California Fires Analysis

The Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI), part of UL Research Institutes, is conducting an independent analysis of the devastating California Fires that occurred in January 2025, at the request of the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom.

The first phase of this analysis is the creation of a timeline of events and conditions leading up to and during the fires, including weather, evacuation activities, emergency response, and fire suppression. Soon after the fires were extinguished, FSRI researchers and partners were on the ground in California for in-depth field data collection in areas impacted by the fires. They looked at the condition of structures, presence of fuels, and measured separation distances and window properties, factors that our heat transfer research has found to be critical in the spread of fire.

FSRI researchers and analysts also engaged with residents in these neighborhoods to gather firsthand accounts. Photos and videos those individuals took during the fire and shared with FSRI provide invaluable data through time stamps and location data for the fire progression map and timeline. This segment of the ground data collection was documented to show the process and highlight the thorough nature of the analysis.

Watch the video and learn more as data collection continues.

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