After a blaze in your home, the water used to extinguish the fire can damage your remaining possessions. As soon as you get permission from the fire marshal to safely re-enter your home, you need a clean up team to assess your situation. In this case, consider only professionals who have been certified through the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification, or IICRC.
Not only can the flames devour all materials in their way, but there are also after-effects caused by corrosive byproducts, even after the fire has been extinguished. These corrosive byproducts, including smoke and soot, can damage the objects and materials they encounter and leave a lingering odor. To return your home to a safe condition, the soot and smoke damage needs to be tended to immediately. However, the damage doesn’t end there.
When fires are extinguished, the water used to extinguish it causes damage to your property and belongings. Fire hoses, in particular, can be harsh with the amount of power and pressure they provide. The water and chemicals used to fight the fire are likely to cause secondary damage if not cleaned properly.
Other actions that can cause fire damage are:
After the bulk of ruined items have been removed, you need to clean and disinfect immediately. Bleach solutions and other disinfectants are good for this; PRC has some additional products specifically designed to clean after a fire.
Mold is a secondary problem; you’ll also want to do a detailed inspection even after the restoration is complete to make sure mold isn’t growing. Mold eats away at building materials like drywall, floorboards, and wood, weakening your home’s structure in the process and worsening the damage.
Any porous material such as wooden floors and furniture will soak up water extremely quickly and will suffer damage because of that. Damaged ceilings pose the risk of collapsing, causing even more damage to your already impacted home or business. Have our team inspect and repair damaged ceilings after a fire.
Depending on the size of the fire and the amount of water used to extinguish it, there’s a chance that the drywall took most of the damage. Some pieces of the drywall can be salvaged by drying it out, patching, or replacing partial panels.
If water has been standing in your home or business for a while, the seals around appliances and objects such as bathtubs and toilets will be weakened. The electrical components in your home and the wiring behind your walls could have gotten damaged to the point that they pose their own fire risk. Your electrical items such as computers and televisions probably received damage as well from the fire, smoke, and water.
Carpets are very vulnerable to post fire damage. All that increased traffic on damaged fibers can wear them down. Carpets can hold mold and other toxic substances after severe water damage. Some carpets and rugs can be dried enough to be salvaged, but others will need to be torn up and replaced. It’s hard to inspect carpets and know if they’re salvageable or not, so you’ll want to invest time and patience in properly drying and cleaning them.
Considering all of the damage that ensues because of a fire, it is imperative to address the fire, smoke and water damage and restore the property. This fire damage has the potential to ruin your home’s structure and negatively affect your health.
At PRC Restoration, our professional team is available 24 hours a day– on call and ready to assist you when your home suffers any fire. The team will position industrial fans, air scrubbers and dehumidifiers to create the optimal airflow to quickly dry your home without spreading the soot and smoke. Our technicians are also trained to identify structural risks and address instability issues until permanent repairs can be made.
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