Home Safety After a Fire: What Emergency Restoration Can Do
A fire at your home can leave parts of it or the entire structure unsafe. Water used to extinguish the fire as well as smoke can also cause damage. Fortunately, an emergency restoration company can assess the damage and take steps to secure your property.
Stabilizing the Structure
The fire is out, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safe to return to your home. An emergency restoration company will start by assessing the damage. This often includes damage that’s hidden. A floor or wall may look fine, but it might actually need bracing to prevent collapse. Professionals can also use tarps to protect parts of your home from the elements and can board up window and door areas if there is a risk of break-ins. In addition, they can also remove any debris that creates a hazard.
Addressing Water Damage
After the fire department has extinguished the fire, your home may be saturated with water. Mold will start to grow within 24 to 48 hours. Therefore, quick action is essential. A restoration company has the equipment necessary to extract water from your home and then to dry out the structure. It may be necessary to take additional steps to remove contaminants or control mold, such as sanitizing some areas.
Dealing with Soot and Smoke Damage
The parts of your property that didn’t catch fire may still have damage from soot and smoke. In addition, byproducts from soot and smoke can be health hazards, so it’s important to address this as well in order to make your home safe. Another reason that you need to have professional help at this stage is because if you try to clean up soot and smoke damage yourself, you may simply end up grinding particles deeper into carpets, walls, and other material.
A restoration company uses specialized tools to remove soot and smoke residue. They also have air scrubbers and other equipment that remove smoke odors and particles from the air.
Emergency Service to Secure Your Home
Restoration companies understand that time is of the essence after a fire. While the full restoration process can take weeks or even longer, the immediate action to make your home safe happens in the hours and days after the fire is extinguished. This process may also involve taking steps to prevent further damage to your belongings.
What happens after this depends on the extent of the damage, including whether you need restoration or rebuilding, and what you want to do next with the property. However, a quick response to stabilize the structure and remove water, contaminants, and debris will secure your home in the immediate aftermath and get you on the path to recovery. If you live in Cincinnati, OH or a surrounding area and need fire damage services, make your first call to United Water Restoration Group of Cincinnati.