Fire and smoke damage are two of the worst results of a dwelling fire. They can permeate flooring, walls, ceilings, and everything else in the dwelling. Smoke can contain toxic chemicals that can result in severe health risks or even death. While fire can consume a dwelling in flames within a few minutes, smoke can be much more dangerous. It acts as a vehicle for spreading fire and can find its way through plumbing systems by using holes around pipes and ventilation systems to move from floor to floor. This can ultimately damage equipment throughout the dwelling and leave a pungent odor that is incredibly difficult to eliminate. Of fire and smoke, smoke is certainly the most dangerous. It can contain highly toxic gasses and leave thick, black deposits on all surfaces and personal property. This can result in not only severe health risks but also causes extensive damage to a dwelling and personal property within. Smoke moves through a dwelling within minutes and can completely coat an entire dwelling in two to three minutes.
In addition to emitting toxic fumes that are unsafe to breathe, fire and smoke damage can also weaken the structure of a dwelling and make it unsafe for anyone to enter. Even if a fire does not completely destroy a portion of a dwelling, this does not mean it is safe to walk in a dwelling damaged by fire. The fire may have damaged the foundation or framework of the dwelling. This means the dwelling could still collapse around you if you put pressure on the weakened boards. The dwelling may need to be shored up structurally to make areas safe and the roof may need to be tarped to weatherproof the dwelling. In most cases, windows may need to be boarded up to secure and protect the dwelling from curious outsiders and animals.
4 Elements Restoration can inspect your dwelling for these safety issues and address them as needed. Our in-house skilled roofers can make any necessary temporary roof repairs or tarping required to weatherproof the dwelling. When it comes to boarding up a dwelling or securing it from outsiders we use the USFA National Arson Prevention Initiative Board Up Procedures. Once these issues have been addressed we can then move forward with the interior work. This may include extracting water, shoring up areas to make them structurally safe, and removing contents that can be cleaned, deodorized, and restored.
We work with the insurance companies and/or homeowners to determine if contents need to be packed and removed from the home. This is only after we determine if we can clean and store contents on site safely and effectively. We can clean and stored contents off-site until the work is completely finished. We then work on cleaning and deodorizing the entire dwelling from top to bottom to remove soot and smoke damage left behind by the fire. We use the latest technology to deodorize as well as using the proper cleaning products based on the type of fire to wash all the surfaces of the dwelling.