The Full Guide: Fire Damage Restoration

House fires and other building fires are so destructive in part because they can cause multiple types of damage to a building and its belongings. Heat, flames, soot and smoke can all create different damage and cause lingering issues if left unaddressed. In addition, the efforts to extinguish the fire can often cause water damage.

These are the different classes of fire damage:

• Class A fire damage involves flammable solids such as wood, paper or cloth.
• Class B fire damage involves flammable liquids.
• Class C fire damage involves flammable gasses such as propane, butane or natural gas.
• Class D fire damage involves combustible metals such as sodium or magnesium.
• Class E combines electrical elements with Class A or B.
• Class F fire damage involves cooking oils or fats.

Some insurance companies make the distinction between primary fire damage and secondary fire damage. Primary fire damage is caused by the flames, and secondary fire damage is caused by the smoke or other byproducts of the fire.

Flame combusts, consumes or melts property depending on its material and the severity of the fire.

Charring damage involves partial burns with a blackened surface. Wood with superficial charring can be reused, but charred wood with compromised structural integrity or a significant loss of load capacity must be replaced.

Heat damage can include cracked or warped walls or ceilings. It causes fibers in wood to crack, splinter and warp and can affect structural integrity.

The type of smoke and soot damage can differ based on the material burned in the fire.

• Burning wood and paper can leave a dry, ashy powder
• Burning plastic can leave a thick, sticky residue
• Burning grease or foods, especially fatty or protein-rich foods, can leave yellow-brown stains and greasy residue

Smoke and soot can discolor and cling to property, including furniture, flooring, walls and ceilings. Soot damage leaves an oily residue and must be completely cleaned and dried before painting.

Wood blackened by soot and smoke is less resistant to moisture and more vulnerable to rot, decay, insects and bacteria, so it must be cleaned as soon as possible.

Damage caused by extinguishing the fire with water or a chemical fire retardant is sometimes called “third party damage.”

Pro Tip: The types of fire extiguishers correspond to the different classes of fire damage.

After a fire has been extinguished, fire restoration Pros must first conduct a fire damage assessment to determine the type and extent of the damage.

David Ragsdale, production manager at SERVPRO, a national company that provides fire and water damage restoration services, explains that both fire and water damage require assessments.

“Both [assessments] are critical elements of determining the level of severity of damage,” Ragsdale says. “Assessment in fire damage is more involved and time-intensive. Water will go down and always find the lowest point. Smoke goes in an upward direction and goes into every nook, cranny, crack or crevice.”

Immediate steps for homeowners after a fire include contacting the insurance company and limiting movement through the house. Only a portion of the house may need to be restricted, depending on how much the fire was contained. For safety, homeowners should keep out of house entirely until after the assessment.

Restoration Pros should wear rubber gloves, safety glasses and other safety equipment on the site of a housefire. Some fire extinguisher residues can irritate the eyes or skin.

The following are the major steps of a fire damage assessment and inspection:

• Assess the home exterior, including yard and outbuildings.
• Confirm that the property is safe to enter.
• Begin the interior assessment with the foundation and basement. Assess the extent of the damage. Determine how far have flames and smoke have penetrated the structure, how extensive the cleanup needs to be, etc.
• Continue through the upper floors and attic, testing the structural integrity throughout.
• Determine which property can be restored and which should be discarded room by room. Include appliances, furniture, digital media, paper products, carpets and upholstery.
• Create an itemized cost estimate for cleanup and restoration for the client.

After fire damage inspection and assessment, secure and protect the property as needed to deter intruders or prevent further damage from rainfall. This can include:

• Boarding up the windows
• Installation of fencing
• Placing a tarp on the roof to prevent damage from bad weather

Pro Tip: Some fires cause so much damage the home is a total loss and must be rebuilt. For homes with partial but significant fire damage, you may need to advise the client on the advantages of restoration vs. rebuilding. See our guide on Costs to Demolish a House.

Fire damage cleanup and sanitization should be done as soon as possible to protect the client’s belongings.

Check local building codes for safety requirements regarding ventilation of smoke and fumes. Ideally, you want to keep the burned areas of the home sealed and separate from the unaffected areas, but you also need to ventilate the burned space to clear the odors and provide fresh air while you work. Change the home’s air filter as soon as possible.

Cover high-traffic areas with tarps or sheets to prevent tracking soot or other debris through the house.

Before cleanup, remove all debris and irreparably damaged material from the home. Damaged drywall or flooring must be removed down to the studs. Any compromised load-bearing beams or lumber must have temporary support.

Remove furniture and other portable belongings that need to be restored off-site before cleaning the space.

Begin with soot and smoke cleanup and removal:

• Vacuum heavier amounts of soot with a dry vacuum or other suitable vacuum cleaner
• Wipe lighter layers of soot from surfaces using a dry soot sponge
• Clean remaining smoke and soot residue from all surfaces with a sponge or cleaning cloth and non-water-based cleaner such as paint thinner or rubbing alcohol
• Wash walls with soapy water to remove odors

These are additional steps during the fire damage cleanup process:

• Scrape away blistered and bubbling paint with a putty knife and sand until smooth. Then prime and paint. The client may take the opportunity to repaint the entire ceiling or room.
• Deodorize rooms with ozone generators.
• Clean ducts to remove soot, smoke and debris.
• Use carpet cleaners on carpet or rugs with superficial fire effects.

Extinguishing fires can often cause water damage. See The Full Guide: Water Damage Restoration for water damage cleanup and repair tips.

Pro Tip: When using a chemical solution to clean smoke damage, test it by spot cleaning a small area of the surface to make sure it has no adverse reactions. Some chemical cleaners can cause paint discoloration.

The final major step in fire damage restoration is the process of restoring or replacing property to its pre-loss conditions. Many Pros follow the S700 standard for Professional Restoration of Fire and Smoke Damaged Personal Items from The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC).

The IICRC standard includes documenting and establishing a chain of custody for damaged belongings, including inventory, packing, storing, cleaning, repairing and return to the client.

Restoration Pros must test for asbestos, lead-based paints and mold from water damage before restoring the property.

Fire damage restoration often includes the following repair and construction tasks:

• Restore or repair the damaged furnishings that have been moved off-site
• Rebuild or repair the roof
• Replace drywall and flooring
• Replace fixtures, countertops and cabinets
• Replace any damaged electrical systems

The schedule for fire assessment, cleanup and restoration based on the extent of the damage, the size of the building and the quantity of belongings that need to be repaired or replaced.

Many personal items such as rugs, electronics and furniture subjected to smoke or water damage can be restored. Items damaged by fire or flames will usually need replacement.

Ragsdale finds that customers can be surprised at how often upholstered items can be restored after fires. “If the level of fire residue is not severe or heavy, many times they can be restored,” Ragsdale says.

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