The Complexities of Fire Remediation

9/20/2021 (Permalink)

Soot & Melting Coating on a Window

When a fire occurs in a building, structural charring is only one issue.  On occasion, a structural engineer will need to be called to determine if the building is safe to be in based on how weak the structure may have become.  Aside from the structural aspect, lots of demolition may need to be performed because materials are beyond being cleanable. 

Smoke is very intrusive and not only will it affect the immediate area of the source but it will flow through the entire structure including the air ducts.  Often soot webs or tags will form due to materials like petroleum.  These can smudge easily and will need to be handled carefully.  How to clean depends on the type of materials that burned, the source, temperature to name a few.  Protein fires are different than dry material fires like wood and paper. 

Another issue to be concerned with is odor.  Higher temperature fires will open pores in materials and allow soot particles to invade.  These pores will need to be opened up again in order to clean and deodorize.  Aside from the structure, another items to contend with is the contents in the structure like clothing, furniture, dishes, etc.  The type of material will determine how it is to be cleaned and deodorized.

Remediating a fire can be a very complex process, make sure you find a great fire remediation company like SERVPRO of Southwest Dallas that has the expertise, tools and equipment to get the job done correctly.