VIDEO: The Asheville Fire Department (AFD) has a new tool to help with investigations. Through FEMA’s Fire Safety and Prevention grant, AFD received a Matterport 3D imaging camera.
“It allows us to essentially paint a picture of the entire incident,” Bill States, senior deputy fire marshal, said.
The technology lets AFD go inside a fire scene long after the initial investigation has ended. States said the technology has been a gamechanger, creating a new tool to document fire scenes. “Normally a 360 camera, that’s all you’d be able to see, but this technology splices together all of our scans,” he said.
States used the 3D capture of the Sly Grog Lounge fire late last year as an example to show the power of this technology. It shows the extensive damage of the fire and also how investigators determined the origin.