Fire, Smoke and Water Damage Restoration After Southbury Area House Fires

6/11/2018 (Permalink)

House fires are an extremely devastating and terrifying experience. Once safely outside of your home, you and your family must wait outside and watch your home be further damaged while the fire department extinguishes the flames.  House fires leave a home with not only charred walls, soot and smoke damage. There will also be water damage from rescue efforts.  Depending on the severity of the fire, you may not be able to return to your home for some time.  

Structural Safety -  House fires can cause conditions in which your home is no longer structurally sound. Wall studs and other materials integral to the structure of your home may have been burned and compromised during the fire. If the roof was damaged, falling debris might be a hazard. Many homes also have damage to the electrical wiring that requires that the electricity be turned off until it can be repaired.  

Smoke Damage - House fires lead to thick, heavy smoke and soot because there is so much upholstered furniture, carpeting, curtains, clothing, and other household items that act as fuel. This soot and smoke can linger inside of the home for a very long time after the fire has been extinguished and can lead to serious health problems. Not only is soot very toxic, but it is also quite tiny in size at just 2.5 microns (compare that to a dust particle which is 40 microns in size!). Smoke odors are absorbed into many household items- carpeting, upholstered furniture and even wood – and are very difficult to remove. SERVPRO of Southbury/Torrington uses specialized equipment and techniques to remove smoke and soot from ceilings, walls, and other surfaces. 

Water Damage- The amount of water required to put out a house fire can be staggering – in many cases over 1000 gallons can be used by firefighters. All of that is left when the trucks leave. In many of the house fire damage restoration jobs that we work on, the water damage requires more of a clean up than the fire damage itself. The water removal process begins almost immediately and removes the majority of the water. We will then use dehumidifiers and air movers to remove the remaining water and complete the drying process. 

Contents Damage– Fire, water and smoke cause extensive damage to household contents. We understand that your belongings are not "just things" and use advanced restoration techniques to save and restore your treasured items. Not everything can be saved but our team will carefully go through and inventory your home with you to identify special items and family heirlooms.  

We can't stop a fire from damaging your Woodbury home but we can help get life back to normal as quickly as possible afterwards. The fire, smoke and water damage restoration services offered by SERVPRO of Southbury/Torrington are based on over fifty years of experience. If you have any questions regarding our fire damage restoration process, give us a call at (203)267-6262.