Forensic Electrical Engineer | PE, CFEI

Specialties & Experience of this Expert Witness

Additional Information

Zacharias Macias, PE, CFEI is a licensed Professional Engineer and Certified Fire & Explosion Investigator with over 10 years of specialized experience in forensic electrical engineering and fire investigation. He is the founder and principal engineer of Macias Forensics, a forensic engineering firm serving insurance carriers, adjusters, TPAs, and law firms nationwide. Mr. Macias provides expert witness services in electrical failure analysis, fire origin and cause investigation, equipment damage assessment, and power surge evaluation. His work spans a wide range of loss types, including structure fires, vehicular fires, electrical distribution failures, lightning and surge damage, water damage, and product defect investigations. He is fluent in federal, state, and local electrical codes, including the National Electrical Code (NEC), and applies this knowledge to evaluate liability, causation, and damages in both litigation and pre-litigation matters. Representative case experience includes: Origin and cause investigation of a $1,600,000 medium voltage cable loss (Phoenix, AZ) Failure analysis of MRI, CT, and PET scanner equipment with RCV/ACV valuations exceeding $2,000,000 Origin and cause investigation of an electric vehicle fire (Irwindale, CA) Spindle failure analysis of a $600,000 CNC machine (Reno, NV) Power surge failure analysis of commercial HVAC, IT, and security systems (Tolleson, AZ) Origin and cause investigation of an explosion at a fracking facility (Tyler, TX) Damage assessment of commercial electrical systems from arc flash, vehicular collision, and theft Mr. Macias holds PE licensure in California, Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada, Wisconsin, Washington, Utah, Idaho and is a NAFI Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI). He holds the IAAI Fundamentals of Fire Investigation Certificate and is an active member of NAFE, NAFI, IAAI, and NSPE. Prior to founding Macias Forensics, Mr. Macias served as a Project Engineer at Envista Forensics and Project Director at Nelson Forensics. Earlier in his career he designed electrical systems and managed engineering projects for a diverse range of clients including federal and state correctional facilities, county municipalities, state hospitals, K-12 and higher education institutions, aerospace manufacturers, and private residential clients. Areas of expertise include: electrical failure analysis, fire investigation, arc flash, vehicular fires, electrical distribution systems, motors and transformers, circuit breakers and fuses, power surge assessment, lightning loss assessment, water damage, equipment breakdown, medical equipment consulting, solar panel failure analysis, RCV/ACV calculations, and NEC code review.