Forensic and Electrical Engineering in the Southeast

Dreiym Engineering takes forensic and electrical engineering work across the Southeast from our offices in Coldspring, Texas, where our engineering lab is, and Westcliffe, Colorado. Our work in the region has included recloser failure and transformer fire investigations in Alabama, lightning-strike and forensic electrical analyses in Charlotte, an industrial electrical inspection in Asheville, and arc flash studies at a manufacturing plant in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. We have also investigated structure and heavy-vehicle fires in Georgia and fires and vehicle fires in Tennessee, and taken forensic assignments in South Carolina. Our engineers are licensed Professional Engineers with active and past licensure in multiple states, and our reports and studies are PE-stamped where required.

Who works on Southeast projects

Dreiym Engineering was founded in 2014. Southeast projects are run from our offices in Coldspring, Texas and Westcliffe, Colorado, and evidence that needs closer study comes back to the Coldspring lab, which has real-time X-ray and an 18,000 lb vehicle lift. Stepan V. Eero, M.S., P.E., a NACE CP Specialist (CP4), and Brian J. Brackensick, M.S., P.E., a NACE CP Technologist, both hold NAFI CFEI and CVFI certifications for fire and vehicle fire investigation. Brian leads our electrical power studies, with field data collected by Ruben A. Rodriguez. Consulting-only (non-testifying) retentions are accepted.

Utility equipment failures

Reclosers and distribution transformers usually fail where nobody is watching, up on a pole or behind a fence, and several parties then need to know whether the failure started inside the equipment or came from outside it. A recloser that has operated keeps a history: the operation count, the control settings and, on electronic controls, the event records show what the device saw and what it did. A transformer fire leaves its own record. An internal arc that vaporizes the insulating liquid and ruptures the tank looks different from a fire that reached the unit from outside, and when some liquid can be recovered, a dissolved gas analysis can point to the kind of internal fault. None of that survives if the unit goes to the scrap pile, so the first step is to preserve it as evidence.

This work is described in our write-up on utility equipment failure investigations in Alabama.

Lightning and surge claims

Thunderstorms are frequent across the region, and lightning is often put forward as the cause when electrical equipment fails. We test that claim against the physical evidence. A strike drives a very large current through many circuits at once, so its damage tends to spread across circuits and to concentrate at surge protective devices and at the points where the surge entered or left the system. A failure that starts inside one component usually stays there. Third-party lightning detection records show whether cloud-to-ground strikes were recorded near the site, and we weigh them along with the evidence, never in place of it. Where fire is part of the question, we follow an approach consistent with NFPA 921.

Our work in Charlotte and Asheville is described in our write-up on lightning analyses in Charlotte.

Fires and vehicle fires

For fires in buildings, vehicles and heavy equipment, we inspect the scene as soon as possible, with interested parties notified, and document it before evidence is moved. Components that need closer study are shipped to our Coldspring lab, logged on arrival and kept in video-monitored storage, and real-time X-ray lets us look inside a part before it is taken apart. Fire origin and cause work follows a method consistent with NFPA 921.

Our approach to burned vehicles and machines is described on our page for vehicle fire investigations.

Power studies across state lines

Since 2023 we have run arc flash studies at a manufacturing plant in Hattiesburg as part of a program that covers four plants of one company in four states. The Hattiesburg model, built in ETAP, has 539 buses, 40 transformers and 58 induction motors, with eight 12.47 kV source buses. Its labels are generated from a database exported from the model, so they can be reissued when equipment changes. The model was updated in November 2025, and 541 labels were issued from it in July 2026.

The program is described in our write-up on arc flash studies for four plants in four states.

Projects in the Southeast

A few jobs from the region, listed without client details. Each linked row opens a full write-up.

Every write-up we have posted is listed on our projects page.

Nearby states with their own pages:

• Florida
• Louisiana

Frequently asked questions

Do you have an office in the Southeast?

No. Southeast projects are run from our offices in Coldspring, Texas and Westcliffe, Colorado. Our engineers travel to sites in the region for field work and scene inspections, and evidence can be shipped to our Coldspring lab.

How soon can you inspect a loss site?

As soon as possible. Tell us where the loss is, when it happened and whether the scene or the equipment is being held, and send any photos you have.

Can you work as a consultant without testifying?

Yes. Consulting-only (non-testifying) retentions are accepted, and so are assignments that may lead to expert testimony.

Do you do arc flash studies at plants outside Texas?

Yes. We build the model in ETAP or SKM from field data and the one-line diagrams, and arc flash labels are printed and installed or shipped to you. Training on IEEE 1584-2018 and NFPA 70E is also offered.

Are your engineers licensed in my state?

Our engineers are licensed Professional Engineers with active and past licensure in multiple states. Ask about your state when you request a quote. Before the project is scheduled, we confirm whether the work needs a PE stamp there and how licensing will be handled.

How do I get a quote?

Submit a forensic assignment or contact us with the location and what you need. Quotes are free, and our rate schedule is available on request. We typically respond within one business day.