Fire Damage Restoration Steps for Restoring the Property

A fire in your home, no matter how destructive, is always scary and can leave you frightened. Whether you are dealing with a small fire or something more serious, it’s important to act quickly to restore your home to normal and prevent additional damage. Here are steps you should take if you experience fire damage in your home.

Confirm the Property Is Safe to Enter

Even if everything looks safe and clear to you, wait for fire remediation professional to confirm that the property is safe to enter. A fire can cause structural damage that may not be immediately visible. A fire can also start up again even if it seems to be out. 

A few things not to do after a fire:

  • Do not turn on any gas, water, or electric utilities until a professional has marked them safe.
  • Do not try to clean any of the fire damage yourself. 
  • Do not enter your home until you’re given assurance by a professional that it is safe.

Call Your Home Insurance Company

One of the most important things after fire damage is to contact your home insurance company. An adjuster will be sent over to access the damage. They can also help arrange temporary housing, and walk you through your next steps. Don’t forget to document and take pictures of all the damage. 

Get a Copy of the Fire Report

Call the fire department to get a copy of the fire report that will cover the condition of your home, who was involved, the time and date of the fire damage, and more. This is important for insurance purposes. 

Minimize Damage and Begin Cleanup

Smoke and soot can cause damage even after the fire has been extinguished, including soot staining, mold and mildew growth, rust, corrosion, and poor air quality. 

In most cases, you’ll want to use a fire disaster relief company to assist in the cleanup because fire damage is often deeper than you initially see. Here are some steps to take:

  • Call all utility providers (electric, gas, water) and inform them of the fire.
  • Remove personal possessions that are too damaged to restore. It might be necessary to remove items that don’t appear to be damaged as well so they don’t get contaminated any further.
  • If you suspect water damage, the proper restoration and mold and mildew removal processes should begin as soon as possible to minimize further damage. This should ideally be done by professionals. 
  • Some sensitive materials like metals, plastics, grout, carpeting, textiles and wood should be treated for soot staining. 

Cancel Credit Cards and Replace Important Documents

Start the steps to replace any valuable documents that were damaged in the fire, including credit cards, IDs, passports, social security cards, and others. Consider canceling any credit cards you didn’t find in the fire to avoid them being found or stolen by someone else. 

Duraclean Fire Restoration Services

After suffering the emotional shock of a fire, the last thing one wants to think about is how will this be cleaned up? Duraclean to the rescue, we have the most modern equipment and use cutting-edge restoration techniques to allow the quickest recovery.

Give us a call at (914) 214-9477 to set in motion the number of people, amount of supplies, and quantity and type of equipment necessary for a rapid initial response.

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