What is the most difficult case you have worked on?

Focus on describing a problematic case and how you used your critical thinking and problem-solving skills to determine the cause of the fire. Or, it could be another reason the case was challenging, such as multiple people died in the fire, or it was intentionally set and caused major damage and it unsettled you. If you are a new Fire Investigator and have not had a challenging call, describe how you would handle one.

You want to avoid giving an example of a case you could not solve. If you could not determine the cause of a particular fire, the interviewer may question your investigative skills.

"The most challenging case I have worked on was a gas explosion at a pre-school. While I easily found the cause of the fire, it was difficult for me because there were so many young children killed. I have two young children, and it hit close to home. I was able to complete the case working alongside the fire department, but we all required critical incident debriefing after the call."