NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Nashville Fire Marshal's Office is working around the clock to determine the causes of fires as investigation calls increased by 19% in 2025, prompting the city to add two new investigators to handle the growing workload.
When firefighters finish battling flames, a different kind of work begins. The Nashville Fire Marshal's Office steps in to investigate fires when crews can't determine what started them or when something seems suspicious.
"We are responsible 365, 24/7. We're on call. We have two investigators on call every week," Deputy Fire Marshal Chad Young said.
Fire investigators collect statements, study burn patterns and deploy specially trained dogs that can detect accelerants to uncover the truth behind fires. They conduct thorough 360-degree examinations of fire scenes, including cases like an ongoing investigation at the Nashville Library's parking garage.
"That is just an overall increase of investigated fires to determine causation," Young said.
The spike in calls isn't necessarily due to more arson cases, according to Young. Instead, it reflects Nashville's rapid growth and development.
"Nashville's growth, the development, Nashville's expanding. The department itself has seen call volume increase this past year, so it all comes into play," Young said.
To address the increased demand, Metro budgeted for two additional fire investigators this year. The city approved the request, and the new investigators started work this week.
Safety drives the decision to have multiple investigators respond to scenes, especially since many fires occur at night.
"The reason for the two investigators is for their safety. A lot of times the fires happen at night. These are late nights for the investigators. And we will always have two investigators there for the safety of each other," Young said.
For Young, the work extends beyond collecting data and statistics. The investigations provide crucial answers for people affected by fires.
"For me, it's another day coming to work and doing my job and ensuring that those people get closure… So at the end of the day, it's our job to ensure that they have those answers," Young said.
The Nashville Fire Department says the two additional investigators meet current needs. However, if call volumes continue climbing, Young says they will submit another budget request for additional help.
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