Document the scene
Record the room, fire patterns and the position of furniture before selecting the measurement area.
Research for fire investigation
What can gypsum board tell us about a fire?
From fire-damaged material to measurable evidence.
OBSERVE · MEASURE · UNDERSTAND
01
Material
Understanding gypsum board and the changes left by fire.
02
Measurement
Developing a practical instrument for assessing calcination depth.
03
Interpretation
Bringing measurements together with observations from the scene.
About CalciTrace
From material
to measurement.
A research and development project connecting gypsum board calcination with practical fire investigation.
CalciTrace explores how fire changes gypsum board and how these changes can be documented and measured. The work brings together experimental fires, scene observations and the development of a handheld measuring instrument.
The project is led by Jakub Baca, a fire investigator and doctoral researcher.
Discover the methodThe project in 40 seconds00:40
A short introduction by Jakub Baca.
Czech audio · English subtitles
The method
A clear position.
A recorded measurement.
A laser-projected grid identifies where to measure. The handheld instrument measures calcination depth at the intersections.
Laser grid · point-by-point measurementProject the grid
Use the intersections of horizontal and vertical laser lines to locate measurement points. Stand to the side to keep the grid visible.
Measure and map
Record the readings in their spatial order and compare the resulting depth map with observations from the scene.
Gypsum board & fire
Look beyond
the surface.
White burn areas, blackened surfaces and intact paper facing can appear side by side. An annotated photograph explains these differences in a real fire scene.
Explore the material and the scene →Development & collaboration
Let’s develop
CalciTrace together.
Interested in helping develop and test a practical instrument for fire investigation?
I welcome collaboration on instrument design, measurement methods and practical evaluation—from prototype improvements to testing in experiments and in the field.
Start a conversation
Jakub Baca
Fire investigator & doctoral researcher
CalciTrace research and development
Tell me about your expertise and how you would like to contribute.