What To Do When Dealing With Fire Damage in Your Home

3/12/2024 (Permalink)

Restoring a home after fire damage is a difficult, emotional process. We can help with cleanup & restoration, and can provide other resources.

Life has enough interruptions and bumps along the way without the unwanted disaster of a house fire. The aftermath is almost as bad, but much longer-lasting. Even small fires can merit the use of a professional restoration company. Cooking fires that spread beyond the stove, barbecue grills that go haywire, and even small appliances that catch fire can cause damage to surrounding areas. 

Small Fires Can Pose High Risks 

While you should never pour water on a grease fire, nor on an electrical one, many times that is a person's first reaction. This can cause even more damage. Cooking fires and electrical shorts are common causes of Montgomery County fire damages. It can also create physical risks to people standing nearby.

With grease fires, baking soda should be poured into the skillet and any grease or oil that has caught fire outside of the cooking pan or skillet instead of water. 

With electrical fires, the appliance should be unplugged if it can be safely done, but not by pulling on the cord. This can cause the cord to snap, leaving the plug without the cord still in the outlet. The power to the area where this is happening should be shut off at the fuse box as quickly as possible to eliminate the hazard. 

After the Fire is Out, It's Time to Repair the Damage 

When there has been a localized fire, you should have someone assess the damages for you. This can often help with insurance documentation. Landlords, if you are renting, will also appreciate the heads-up, and they can see the damage for themselves. It is every landlord's worst nightmare to have a fire or flood damage their properties. If they can see the amount of damage, they can rest easier knowing the extent of the repairs required. Fires do happen, through nobody's fault, and your landlord will know this. 

Damage can range from blackened walls and countertops to heavily burned surfaces, electrical wires being damaged and requiring replacement, to floors suffering damage so severe they must be replaced to be safe again. Having experts assess and conduct the repairs needed can greatly facilitate insurance claims being resolved, as well. 

Hopefully you will never have to experience a fire in your home, business or building, but if you have recently dealt with this catastrophe and need professional restoration to your residential or commercial property, give us a call today at 301-323-8862.

SERVPRO® of Laurel, as well as SERVPRO® of Greenbelt NE/Beltsville E and our parent franchise, SERVPRO® of Rockville-Olney, is a full-service restoration company that specializes in the cleanup, restoration & reconstruction of residential and commercial properties after a fire, smoke or water damage. We also mitigate mold and mildew, and biohazards from your home or business, as well as thorough cleaning with CDC-certified products. 

We are “Faster to any size disaster.” No job is too large or too small!