What Should I Know if Faced with a House Fire?

House fires are frightening, traumatic events that every homeowner hopes to avoid. But according to the National Fire Protection Association, there are more than 350,000 home fires each year in the United States.

There are many causes of home fires, but here are the most common:

• Cooking-related fires are often caused by grease or portable cooking appliances like toasters or electric grills.
• Heating and cooling appliances can overheat or cause combustible items near them to catch fire.
• Electrical fires are a result of faults in a home’s wiring, like short circuits, loose connections, or overloaded circuits.
• Smoking-related fires account for about 5% of all home fires, though they are among the most deadly.
• Candles can add a wonderful ambience to a home but can also be fire hazards.
• Chemical fires in residences are generally the result of vapors from gasoline or other petroleum liquids.
• Christmas trees pose a risk of flash fires because live trees dry out over time and Christmas lights can become hot.

Homeowners should always take precautions to ensure that their home is safe, but even the most diligent person can experience a devastating fire. A home fire can be traumatizing, and even after you put out a house fire, the challenges of fire damage clean up can be overwhelming. A fire may have made the house unlivable due to smoke damage or structural damage, there may be water damage from the fire mitigation efforts, and precious belongings may be gone or damaged.

If you experience a house fire, it is important to start fire damage repair with an experienced fire restoration company as soon as possible.

What to Do in Case of Fire at Home

After you extinguish a house fire, it’s important to understand that there can be hidden damage that makes the home dangerous. It’s natural to want to dive right in to begin inspecting and repairing your home, but while some fire damage and smoke damage may be clearly visible, structural damage may not be.

The first rule of fire damage repair is to be safe! Fire damage restoration companies have trained professionals who know what to look for and can ensure that you and your family will be safe in the home.

Fire damage restoration is unique to every home or business, but here are some general tips for what to do after a fire:

• Heed any guidance from the fire department or other first responders during and after the fire.
• Home fires are traumatic for everyone, so be sure that everyone in the household, including pets, is safe physically and emotionally.
• Contact a fire restoration specialist as soon as possible to inspect the damage and determine what restoration and mitigation work needs to be done.
• If the electricity is off because of the fire or due to water damage, empty refrigerators and freezers, and leave them propped open.
• If staying in the home, stay away from soot-covered areas as much as possible, and put coverings like old sheets down to protect undamaged areas.

Homeowners who experience a house fire may be tempted to clean the fire and smoke damage themselves. However, it is important to know that not only are some structural issues invisible to the naked eye, but also that smoke inhalation is very dangerous and can cause many serious health issues.

A trained fire damage restoration professional can assess the damage, provide guidance on remaining safe, and give you an estimate for the fire restoration work that needs to be done. They have the training and equipment to ensure everyone’s safety throughout the fire restoration process. Here are the steps we take at Urgent Restoration:

Step 1

Contact Us – Certified fire, smoke, and soot restoration specialists can begin the process right away. We offer 24/7 emergency service.

Step 2

Inspection – We determine the extent of fire and smoke damage, and assess the entire situation. During this assessment, our experts will determine how much fire and smoke damage restoration is required, and provide you with an idea of costs and time involved.

Step 3

Boarding Up Damaged Areas – We mitigate any compromised windows, walls, and roofs by boarding up or tarping damaged areas.

Step 4

Removal of Soot and Smoke – Cleaning and sanitization, including smoke remediation, are a critical part of fire restoration. Because the fire has made your home potentially unlivable – or at best, inconvenient to live in – we work as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Step 5

Cleaning and Sanitizing – Because your home may have sustained water damage in the efforts to put out the blaze, it is important to take steps to prevent mold growth. We take all the necessary readings to determine that the affected areas are dry.

Urgent Restoration of Lakeland – Water, Fire & Mold Clean up

Urgent Restoration offers emergency restoration services for residences and businesses in Polk County, Hillsborough County, Lakeland and Central Florida. Our services include water damage clean up, fire and smoke damage restoration, and mold remediation.

We are on standby and ready to help with your fire damage whenever you need us – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We understand just how important it is to act quickly after a house fire, and we want to help you restore your home back to normal as soon as possible.

Our fire, water, and mold restoration business is certified by the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification. All of our technicians are IICRC-certified compliant, and certifications are renewed each year.

For added peace of mind, Urgent Restoration assists in filing documentation directly with your insurance company. This is another way we help remove the stress of water damage repair. We fully document the entire process to ensure your insurance claim is handled correctly and you have proper documentation.

Our goal is to clean up your home quickly and thoroughly, while offering you the best in customer service. We pride ourselves on treating each customer like they are our only customer. Our team works hard to get your home back to normal so that you can again enjoy the comforts of your own home.

We have locations in Lakeland, Winter Haven, Plant City, Bartow, and Auburndale, and can offer service throughout Central Florida. If you need emergency fire restoration services following a fire in your home, contact Urgent Restoration!