Fire Damage

The goal of the restoration process is to transform a smoke and fire damaged structure into a clean, safe environment, free of unpleasant odors. Contents and affected materials are evaluated, replacement vs repair cost. Cleaning something that is not worth saving is a waste of resources.

Types of fire

Fire is categorized by the fuel type. There are flammable solids, Liquids or metals.

Class A: These are fires fueled by flammable solids, such as wood, plastics or paper, cloth, rubber or plastic.  These types of fire are normally extinguished with water or extinguishers with the proper rating.

Class B: These fires are fueled by flammable liquids. Gasoline, oil-based paint, kerosine or solvents, lacquers. These types of fires are extinguished using foam chemicals.

Class C: These are electrical fires that come from appliances, electronic equipment, wiring, power tools, or any electrical component. CO2 extinguishers can be used or a non-conductive material. Water cannot be used on electrical fires.

Class D: Fires that are fueled by combustible metals, titanium, Magnesium, lithium, potassium. Thes fires are extinguished using Specialized powders, sodium chloride or sand. Water cannot be used.

Class K: Fires are grease or oil fires. They are general cooking related fires. These fires burn hotter, spread quickly and cause severe damage. They can be extinguished using Class B extinguisher. Never use water on this type of fire.

Smoke and odor

There are three types of smoke or soot residue. There is the protein residue, Natural substance odor and the synthetic residue.

Protein Residue: This type of residue is commonly caused during cooking mishaps and causes a blaze in the kitchen. Generally, the smoke doesn’t cause that much damage if it gets under control quickly. However, it can permanently dis-color cabinets and other finished surfaces. This type of protein can be underestimated during restoration due to its difficulty to spot.

Fuel or Oil Residue: Can also be called petroleum residue. This type is not commonly seen in residential homes or businesses unless petroleum-based products are used or stored.

Your furnace can create what’s called a “puffback”. This is caused by improper ignition or improper ventilation. When this occurs, the smoke and soot will release into the room without creating fire. Petroleum residue is sticky, dense and difficult to clean. The odor is strong and will easily damage your upholstery and furniture if not cleaned properly.

Wet Smoke: has a strong odor, its’s thick, black, and comes from smoldering fires burning at low temperatures. Wet smoke damage smears easily Making it difficult to clean.

Burning rubber or Plastic also create wet smoke.

Cleaning methods: The three common cleaning methods are cleaning, resurfacing and replacing. Some items can be clean but items with heavy damage usually have to be replaced. Smaller fires commonly allow us to clean all surfaces and items. This avoids the high cost of replacing these items.

On large fires, the smoke is worse and most like has penetrated into items, ceilings and walls. In this case we will make an attempt to clean the damage. However, if there has been penetration, items will have to be replaced.