When fire ravages your home, SERVPRO is here to help

9/28/2020 (Permalink)

A fire damaged a single-family home heavily. The fire started around midday, and by the time fire officials arrived at the scene, thick smoke was blowing from the back of the residence. They punched a hole through one of the walls to access the seat of the fire and controlled it before it could consume the entire house.

Fire and soot cleanup at this home took up a considerable chunk of the restoration process because of the heavy smoke produced during the fire. Although the densest concentration of residues was close to the seat of the fire, residues had spread all over the house through convectional air currents necessitating cleaning. We prepare our SERVPRO technicians to clean any cleaning challenge that arises when a fire damages property, so we had no problem dealing with the widespread residues.

Smoke can leave different types of residues at the same loss site. At the affected home, we expected a similar outcome since the flames had consumed organic materials such as wood and synthetic ones, including fabrics and plastics. Our SERVPRO technicians tested different surfaces to establish factors such as the depth of the residue layers. We also checked whether the loss was a wet smoke or dry smoke loss situation. Because the fire had smoldered in the early stages, there was a higher presence of wet smoke residues, so we opted for wet cleaning procedures.

Although each loss site is unique, there are hotspots where most residues collect. Some like the ceiling and walls are obvious. Others, such as the interiors of cabinets, which attract smoke due to lower temperatures and ventilation ducts, can be missed. Apart from concealment, such areas may also require special cleaning techniques.

For example, the unfinished materials in cabinet interiors make it harder to clean off residues while HVAC systems require disassembly and the use of specialized cleaning equipment. The advanced training our SERVPRO technicians receive helped in identifying and dealing with all problem areas at the affected home.

Soot and other smoke residues readily spread when there is a fire requiring considerable cleaning efforts. Call SERVPRO to help with the restoration! We're Faster To Any Size Disaster.