Cause-and-origin (C&O) reports, drafted at the scene

In the insurance world it is the cause-and-origin report; in the fire service it is origin and cause. Same investigation, same NFPA 921 standard. Car56 drafts the C&O report from your scene documentation and your determinations, so the file is ready for the adjuster, the SIU reviewer, or the subrogation attorney.

What a cause-and-origin report contains

A defensible C&O report follows NFPA 921, moving from the administrative facts to the investigator's opinions. Car56 produces each part in order.

• Administrative information and the scope of the assignment.
• Methodology stating the scientific method per NFPA 921.
• Scene and structure description with conditions on arrival.
• Examination of the scene, exterior and interior, with photographs.
• Fire pattern analysis describing the burn indicators observed.
• Witness and occupant information, attributed to the people who gave it.
• Evidence collected and how it was handled.
• Origin, cause, and classification, to a reasonable degree of certainty, or clearly stated as undetermined.
• Opinions and conclusions with the investigator's signature block.

Why defensibility matters more on an insurance file

A cause-and-origin report rarely sits quietly in a folder. It supports a coverage decision, a subrogation demand, or a fraud referral, and it can end up in front of opposing counsel. A consistent structure, complete photographs, attributed statements, and a documented methodology are what make it hold up. Gaps and shortcuts are what get it excluded.

The investigator determines cause. Always.

Under NFPA 1033, the origin, the cause, and the classification belong to the certified investigator. Car56 documents what you observed and states the determinations you provided. It never assigns a cause, and on a suspected-arson file it never calls a fire incendiary. That is your finding to make and to defend.

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