Fire Damage Questions, Answered

As soon as the fire department releases the property, which is usually the same day. Board-up and tarping come first; the assessment follows once the building is safe to walk.

Stay out of the burned area, do not run the heating or air conditioning, and do not wipe soot off walls or furniture with water or household cleaners. Open windows if the weather allows. Take photos of every room, and keep receipts for anything you buy because of the fire.

Fire is covered by almost every homeowners and commercial property policy, including the smoke damage and the water the fire department used. We document the job the way adjusters expect: photos, a room-by-room scope and an inventory of what was removed. The coverage decision is the insurer's.

Yes, when the source is removed. Odor lives in the soot itself, in the duct system and in porous materials such as insulation and unsealed wood. Cleaning those, then treating the air with ozone or hydroxyl equipment, removes it. Spraying fragrance over it does not.

It depends on how much of the house is affected and whether the utilities are safe. A contained kitchen fire with the rest of the house cleaned quickly is often livable. Heavy smoke through the whole house usually means a few days away while the cleaning and air scrubbing run. We tell you on the first visit.

Ask when you call. Cleanup and the removal of burned material come first on every job, and you get a written list of what came out so whoever rebuilds has exact quantities.

Please do not. Water and household cleaners spread the oily residue into the surface and turn a cleanable wall into one that needs repainting. If you must do something, open windows and stay out of the affected rooms.

Usually yes. Smoke follows the air movement in the house, and if the heating or air conditioning ran, it went through every supply register. The residue test shows how far it reached.

Often the paint survives if the cleaning starts early. Walls that have yellowed, absorbed odor or been stained by wet smoke are cleaned, sealed with a smoke-blocking primer and repainted.

Yes, when the system ran. Soot in the ducts blows back into the house every time the fan runs, so duct cleaning or sealing is part of any job where the smoke went beyond one room.

Wait until they have been photographed and listed. Once something is in a dumpster the adjuster cannot see it, and the claim loses it. The crew inventories every item before it is removed.

Drywall that burned, blistered or absorbed heavy smoke comes out. Drywall on the far side of the room that tests clean and has no odor can often be cleaned and sealed instead.

Charred framing is cut back to sound wood where it is not load-bearing. Anything structural is flagged for a structural contractor or engineer, and the crew does not proceed past that point without their decision.

A kitchen fire is usually a few days. A fire that took a room or a floor runs one to two weeks including the smoke cleaning of the rest of the house. The scope tells you the plan before the work starts.

Heat releases the odor molecules held in residue and porous materials. If the smell returns when the house warms, a source was missed, usually in the ducts, the attic or behind a surface that was cleaned but not sealed.

Fragrance covers the odor for a while. Small ozone units treat the air but not the source, and ozone is harmful to breathe. Removal of the source is the part that works, and it has to come first.

Most clothing and washable fabrics can, through contents cleaning. Upholstered furniture depends on how much smoke it absorbed. Anything that cannot be cleaned is listed for the claim.

Source removal takes a few days; air treatment runs several more. Count on one to two weeks for a house that smelled of smoke throughout, less for a single room.

The same day, usually within a few hours of the call, because the materials ride on the truck. Say on the phone that the building is open and it is treated as an emergency.

Emergency measures to prevent further damage are covered by most property policies, and the insurer generally expects them to be taken. Keep the invoice; we photograph the work for the claim.

Only if the fire department and the utility checks say the building is safe, and only in rooms clear of smoke damage. Many families stay elsewhere for the first days; the technician will tell you what he sees.

A properly battened tarp holds for weeks in normal weather, long enough for the claim and the roofer. It is checked after any storm.

Because water runs down. Fire hoses put a great deal of water into the fire room, and it goes through the floor into the ceiling cavity below. That ceiling is checked and usually dried or opened on every upstairs fire.

No. Mold can start in wet drywall and insulation within a couple of days. The two jobs run together, with containment so the drying airflow does not spread soot.

Water used to put out a fire is part of the fire loss under most policies. It is documented separately with moisture readings so the adjuster can see it.

Three to five days is typical, longer when a lot of material stayed in place. The equipment leaves when the readings say the structure is dry.

Yes. Take medication, documents you need now, and valuables, and tell the crew what you took so the inventory stays complete. Do not take smoke-damaged clothing to wear; it is cleaned first.

Most policies cover cleaning of contents as part of a fire loss, and separately cover replacement of what cannot be cleaned. The inventory and photos from the pack-out are what the adjuster uses.

Soot is conductive and corrosive. Televisions, computers and appliances are cleaned inside before they are switched on, and anything that cannot be made safe is listed for the claim. Do not power on smoke-exposed electronics at home.

Until the house is ready for them, usually the length of the rebuild. Storage is priced by the month and included in the scope you approve.

If the smell is still there after a day or two, yes. Protein smoke leaves an invisible film that household cleaning does not lift. The assessment is free, and it tells you how far the film went.

Not the burned appliance, and not until the residue on food-contact surfaces has been cleaned. The rest of the house is usually fine to live in.

Often, when cabinets, countertops or the appliance are damaged. For a small cleanup near the deductible it may not be. We give you the written scope and you decide.

Cabinets that burned, blistered or warped, yes. Cabinets that only took smoke are usually cleaned inside and out, and sealed if they hold odor.

Yes. A technician walks the property, tests the residue in each room, photographs the damage and writes the scope and price. You decide after that.

We document every job to the standard adjusters expect and give you the photos, scope and inventory. Whether your claim is approved is between you and your insurer.

Yes: restaurants, offices, retail and apartment buildings. Tell us on the phone how many units or floors are affected.

During the day, usually within the hour. Overnight requests are returned first thing in the morning. On the day of a fire, call the number instead of waiting.

Yes. Once someone has called you back, they will give you a number to text photos to. Photos of the fire room and the smoke in other rooms help the crew bring the right equipment.