A fire in your home can have devastating emotional effects on you and your family. When it is your place of business, a fire can cause catastrophic loss that ultimately impacts your bottom line. More importantly, fires leave behind hazardous materials that create serious health risks, risks that most people never fully consider beyond the visible smoke damage on walls and ceilings.
That is why it is so important to call a certified professional for proper mitigation and complete fire and smoke damage restoration of your property.
Residential and commercial structures are composed of materials that may release or break down into hazardous substances when burned. These include synthetics, petroleum products, treated wood, adhesives, and metals. Items inside homes and businesses are no different. Electronics, appliances, batteries, vehicles, household chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides all become potential hazards once exposed to combustion.
After a fire, the remaining ash, debris, and underlying soil will all be contaminated with hazardous substances. Here is what makes this especially dangerous: contaminated ash, debris, and soil can look completely identical to uncontaminated material. The lurking dangers are rarely obvious to the untrained eye.
Numerous health hazards are associated with combustion byproduct particulate in the aftermath of a fire. These include:
For this reason, direct skin contact with settled particulate is strongly discouraged. Respiratory protection is necessary in any area where airborne hazards exist, especially during cleaning, mitigation, or any activity that disturbs settled debris.
Beyond the health risks to people, combustion byproduct particulate is also corrosive. Left unaddressed, it can cause progressive damage to building structures, mechanical systems, electrical systems, and other critical components throughout a property.
The most important thing you can do immediately following a fire is keep the affected area undisturbed. Avoid touching surfaces, moving debris, or attempting any cleanup on your own.
The first step is to have combustion byproduct and asbestos testing performed by a certified professional. This testing determines exactly what hazardous materials and byproducts exist in the affected structure, which is essential information before any restoration work begins.
Has your home or place of business been affected by a fire? The ServiceMaster Restoration by David team is ready to respond. We provide professional testing for hazardous materials and deliver complete fire and smoke damage restoration, from initial assessment through final cleanup.
Do not wait. The longer fire and smoke damage goes unaddressed, the greater the risk to your health and your property. Reach out to us today.
We know disaster comes with questions. All FAQs
The process begins with a thorough damage assessment followed by emergency board-up and tarping if needed. Water from firefighting efforts is extracted and dried. Smoke and soot are removed from all surfaces and contents. Deodorization is performed to eliminate smoke odors. Structural repairs and reconstruction are completed to return the home to pre-loss condition.
Often, yes. Our team uses specialized cleaning and restoration techniques to salvage electronics, machinery, documents, furniture, and inventory items when possible. An early assessment helps determine what can be restored versus what needs to be replaced.
We offer document recovery services for fire and smoke-damaged paper records, files, and other materials. Techniques such as air drying, dehumidification, and specialized cleaning can often salvage important documents, though severely burned materials may be beyond recovery.
