Case Study After the Flames: Drones Map Devastating Village Fire Damage

19 homes
Destroyed in the Wennington fire

20+ organisations
Insurance companies and loss adjusters supported

One dataset
Shared for assessment, planning and recovery

The challenge

Give recovery teams a clear view of a village after a major fire

After a devastating fire in Wennington, multiple properties had been destroyed and others badly damaged. Unstable structures and restricted access made traditional on-site surveys difficult, while insurers, loss adjusters and recovery teams needed information to begin assessing the damage.

The response involved many organisations, each with different questions to resolve. Insurers and loss adjusters needed to review damage, while demolition companies and engineers needed information to plan their work. The challenge was to deploy quickly, survey a large affected area and provide a shared visual record that could serve multiple purposes.

One coordinated drone survey created a dataset that could be shared with more than 20 insurance companies and loss adjusters, as well as demolition companies and engineers.
The survey and 3D model helped stakeholders review the affected area without relying solely on physical access to damaged properties.

Case at a glance

Shared mapping for post-fire recovery

Location: Wennington, East London

Event: Major village fire

Platform: DJI Mavic 3E

Flight planning: DJI Pilot 2

Processing: gNext Labs

Output: 3D mesh model and mapped data

The approach

Deploy quickly. Map the wider scene. Share one useful dataset.

Iprosurv used a DJI Mavic 3E to capture imagery across the fire-affected area. DJI Pilot 2 was used to plan the flights, and the collected data was processed in gNext Labs to create a 3D mesh model for remote review.

Plan and deploy rapidly

Use DJI Pilot 2 to plan data capture across the affected area and respond to the need for information after the fire.

Capture the wider scene

Fly the DJI Mavic 3E to gather detailed imagery across the affected properties and surrounding area, reducing the need for teams to access hazardous locations just to gain an overview.

Process and share the model

Use gNext Labs to process the imagery into a 3D mesh model that multiple stakeholders can review for their own assessment and planning needs.

The result

One dataset with multiple uses across the recovery effort

The drone survey provided a mapped view of the fire-affected area and a 3D mesh model for remote review. The data was shared with more than 20 insurance companies and loss adjusters, alongside demolition companies and engineers involved in the recovery.

A shared dataset gave different teams a common visual reference. It could support damage assessment, help inform planning and allow stakeholders to revisit the scene without each needing to arrange separate access to the affected properties.

Who used the data

A shared view for the teams involved in recovery

✓
More than 20 insurance companies and loss adjusters

✓
Demolition companies planning their work

✓
Engineers reviewing damaged properties

✓
Teams coordinating assessment and recovery decisions

Why it matters

A shared model can help many teams work from the same picture

After a major incident, multiple organisations may need to assess the same location for different reasons. A drone survey can capture a broad visual record quickly, while a 3D mesh model gives stakeholders a way to review the scene remotely and identify areas that need further attention.

When the same dataset can support insurance assessment, engineering review and demolition planning, teams have a common reference point for discussions and next steps.

Start with the event

Need rapid, shareable data after a major incident?

Tell us about the site, access conditions and the teams that need to review the data. We’ll help you assess how drone mapping and 3D modelling could support the response.

Talk to Iprosurv