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There were 364,300 residential fires in 2016. These resulted in 2,775 deaths and 11,025 injuries. The dollar cost of these fires was over $5,726 million.
Fire can be incredibly devastating to your home. Getting the cleanup and restoration right is important. Follow this essential guide for fire damage restoration to get your home back to the way it used to be.
Start by assessing whether it is safe to enter your property. The key things to watch out for are electrical and slip, trip and fall hazards.
Only enter the building if it is safe to do so and only do tasks that you can complete safely. There are some essential things to do and some things you must not do.
Limit activity in your home to a minimum. Treading soot into your carpets will make it more difficult to remove. Keep your hands clean so as not to further contaminate your upholstery, woodwork and other materials.
If you must walk on the carpets, cover them with clean material such as linens or towels. If there is no electricity, empty the refrigerator and freezer and wedge the doors open. Wash the leaves of any indoor plants.
Don’t wash walls, paintwork, carpets or upholstery without expert advice and skills. Don’t use electrical equipment such as lighting or appliances if it has been exposed to fire, heat or water.
Don’t have smoke damaged clothes cleaned by conventional cleaners. Don’t use any food products including canned food that have been close to fire, heat or water.
Even a short duration fire can cause a lot of damage. The damage can include structural damage, damage to the fabric of the building and damage to your belongings.
Much of the damage will not be caused by the fire itself. The smoke produced by the fire can also result in a great deal of damage.
Fighting the fire may reduce the chances of death, injury and fire damage but it also has consequences. Water damage can be extensive and requires expert knowledge and skills to deal with.
Fire damage restoration can include boarding up of the property. It may be necessary to protect the damaged building from adverse weather damage by tarping. Where there has been structural damage it may be necessary to stabilize the building.
Initial restoration work includes removing fire, smoke, and water damaged debris.
Soot can affect a much wider area of your property than the area where the fire was. It moves through your property and covers the fabric of the building and other contents.
Soot is a hazardous substance. It can damage your health if inhaled. It also damages the surfaces that it comes into contact with.
Soot damage restoration includes testing of the chemicals in the soot and appropriate handling of the hazardous material.
Using soda and sponge blasting techniques, soot and smoke can be removed, leaving surfaces undamaged. This also helps remove the smell of smoke. Specialized de-odorizing methods remove any remaining odor.
Water damage can also be extensive. Removing water is essential to reduce contamination and water damage. It also prevents hazardous mold growth.
After a fire, seek expert help. It will reduce the impact of fire damage and speeds up recovery. Fire damage restoration is for the professionals.
Contact the professionals here.
