A local science lab contacted Belfast Data Recovery after their Western Digital Blue hard drive was severely damaged in a fire. The reported issues included:
- The hard drive was exposed to extreme heat, causing melting and surface damage.
- The drive’s casing was burnt, and internal components were potentially compromised.
- The hard drive contained five years of critical research data, making recovery essential.
- The lab had no backup, making professional data recovery their only option.
Since fire damage can cause platter warping, PCB failure, and head crashes, a forensic cleanroom recovery approach was required.
Our Expertise in Fire-Damaged Hard Drive Recovery
With 25 years of experience, Belfast Data Recovery specializes in:
✔ Recovering data from fire-damaged, melted, or burnt hard drives
✔ ISO-Certified Cleanroom Restoration & Platter Cleaning
✔ Forensic data recovery using Acelabs PC3000, DeepSpar imaging, and Atola Insight Forensic tools
Diagnosis & Recovery Process
Upon receiving the fire-damaged Western Digital Blue hard drive, our engineers conducted a detailed forensic evaluation. The key findings included:
- The external casing was melted, but the platters were still intact.
- The PCB (Printed Circuit Board) was burned, preventing power delivery to the drive.
- The read/write heads were fused to the platters, requiring precision handling.
To successfully recover the client’s scientific research data, we implemented a multi-step forensic data recovery strategy:
Step 1: Cleanroom Restoration & Component Replacement
- Opened the fire-damaged drive in a cleanroom.
- Carefully cleaned soot, debris, and oxidation from the internal components.
- Replaced the burnt PCB with a matching donor board to restore power.
Step 2: Platter Extraction & Imaging
- Removed the platters carefully to prevent further damage.
- Used DeepSpar Disk Imager to create a sector-by-sector forensic clone of the remaining readable data.
- Applied adaptive read techniques to bypass damaged sectors.
Step 3: File System Repair & Scientific Data Reconstruction
- Rebuilt the damaged NTFS file system using Acelabs PC3000.
- Extracted and validated scientific research documents, lab reports, and data files.
Step 4: Data Integrity Check & Secure Transfer
- Conducted final validation checks to ensure that all recovered files were intact.
- Successfully transferred the restored data to a new high-performance external SSD, formatted for lab use.
The Result
We successfully recovered 94.7% of the lab’s lost research data, including:
✅ Scientific research papers, reports, and experimental data
✅ Specialized software files, spreadsheets, and modeling results
✅ Archived notes, lab observations, and theoretical studies
Despite fire and heat damage, we were able to recover the majority of critical research files, ensuring the lab could continue its work without losing five years of progress.
Why Choose Belfast Data Recovery for Fire-Damaged Hard Drive Recovery?
✅ 25 Years of Expertise – Specialists in fire and heat-damaged hard drive recovery.
✅ Cleanroom Repairs – Safe handling of severely damaged drives.
✅ Forensic Data Extraction – Recovering files even from melted or non-functional drives.
✅ Fast & Secure Process – Ensuring complete confidentiality and successful recovery.
If your hard drive has been damaged by fire, extreme heat, or other disasters, contact Belfast Data Recovery today for expert forensic data recovery services!