{"id":41496,"date":"2025-09-10T12:12:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T11:12:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/?post_type=video&p=41496"},"modified":"2025-09-10T12:12:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T11:12:08","slug":"hawkins-returns-to-the-merchant-hotel-for-burning-questions-drinks-reception","status":"publish","type":"video","link":"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/video\/hawkins-returns-to-the-merchant-hotel-for-burning-questions-drinks-reception\/","title":{"rendered":"Hawkins Returns to the Merchant Hotel for Burning Questions Drinks Reception"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Hawkins returned to the Merchant Hotel in Belfast for our\u202f <\/span>Burning Questions<\/span><\/i>\u202f event bringing together clients, colleagues, and industry professionals for an immersive exploration into the world of forensic fire investigation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Guests were welcomed with tea and coffee before settling in for our C<\/span>ILA-accredited CPD presentation<\/span>, delivered by Hawkins\u2019 experts and guest presenters.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Guests getting comfortable for our presention & enjoying the networking reception<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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John Holland<\/a>, <\/span>Regional <\/span>D<\/span>irector <\/span>for<\/span> the Island of <\/span>Ireland<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>opened the ev<\/span>ening<\/span> with<\/span> an overview of <\/span>key updates <\/span>at<\/span> Hawkins, <\/span>including <\/span>our recent acquisition of <\/span>cost consultancy\u202f<\/span><\/span>A Lamb Associates<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u202f(ALA) and its subsidiary\u202f<\/span><\/span>Morham<\/span> + <\/span>Brotchie<\/span> Partnership<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0 Hawkins can now provide both technical and quantum and delay on the same case, giving clients un-parallelled service in the market.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>

Attendees were guided through a detailed timeline of a multi-disciplinary fire investigation<\/a>, from the initial origin analysis to the final recovery phase. <\/span>The scenario focused on a fire that originated from a faulty e-scooter and spread rapidly through a row of terraced houses converted into flats, raising questions about causation, liability, and construction standards.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Cathy Scott, a loss adjuster from Crawford & Company, began by explaining her role and the challenges of managing high-profile claims, emphasising the importance of early enquiries. <\/span>Jason Atkinson<\/span><\/a>, Hawkins\u2019 fire investigator, traced the fire\u2019s origin to a single source, ruling out other possible causes. Hawkins\u2019 fire engineer, <\/span>Killian Walsh<\/span><\/a>, examined the building\u2019s structure and identified defects in firestopping that contributed to the fire\u2019s spread. Solicitor, Gavin Hegarty of Horwich Farrelly, explored the legal avenues for recovery and liability, while Hawkins\u2019 forensic architect, <\/span>Paul McCaughran<\/span><\/a> concluded that both design and construction failures had breached building regulations.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The event demonstrated how Hawkins\u2019 integrated expertise can untangle complex claims from start to finish.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Guests exploring fire damaged exhibits with Nick Carey & testing their knowledge with our \"Guess the Accellerant\" test with Jason Atkinson<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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The presentation was followed by a\u202f<\/span>networking reception<\/span>, with free-flowing drinks and canap\u00e9s.\u00a0<\/span>Guests had the opportunity to engage with real-life casework exhibits, explore\u202f <\/span>photogrammetric models<\/span>\u202fof scenes, and share insights with colleagues. Highlights included an exploding aerosol can exhibit and our popular \u201cguess the accelerant\u201d scent challenge.\u00a0<\/span>The event offered attendees both professional development and a chance to connect with peers in a relaxed and engaging setting.\u00a0 <\/span>Thank you to everyone who joined us.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

For those who missed out, Hawkins encourages you to stay tuned for future events <\/a><\/span>here.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was a pleasure to welcome guests back to the Merchant Hotel in Belfast for our annual Drinks Reception. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","experties":[66],"class_list":["post-41496","video","type-video","status-publish","hentry","experties-fire-explosions"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHawkins Returns to the Merchant Hotel for Burning Questions Drinks Reception - Hawkins Forensic Investigation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It was a pleasure to welcome guests back to the Merchant Hotel in Belfast for our annual Drinks Reception.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hawkins.biz\/video\/hawkins-returns-to-the-merchant-hotel-for-burning-questions-drinks-reception\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hawkins Returns to the Merchant Hotel for Burning Questions Drinks Reception - 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