In 2022, New York faced over 7,200 fires, with electrical issues accounting for 36% of these incidents. Experiencing a fire in your home or business is devastating, leaving you overwhelmed and uncertain about the next steps.
Understanding the fire damage restoration process can provide clarity and reassurance during this challenging time.
From the initial assessment to the final stages of reconstruction, knowing what to expect can help you navigate the journey to restoring your property efficiently and safely.
Manhattan Flood Restoration, a professional fire damage remediation company in New York, works on fire damage restoration projects of all sizes, and this guide will cover every stage of the remediation process.
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Emergency response
While emergency services will put the fire out and evacuate the building, that’s where their job ends. You’ll need to contact a specialist fire damage restoration service to secure the property and minimize further damage.
Opting for a 24/7 service means that you can receive immediate support. A remediation team will visit your property and perform the following emergency services:
- Securing the Property: Wherever possible, the technicians will cover the windows, roof, and doors with protective tarps and board up any openings to prevent security issues.
- Structural Assessment: Fires can rip through a building, damaging its structural elements. If your property is deemed to be unstable, the remediation service will ensure you can’t enter it.
- Water Extraction: While water extraction often takes place later on in the process, the remediation service will use sump pumps to extract standing water from the property.
Fire damage assessment and documentation
It’s impossible to understand the full extent of a fire without performing a proper inspection. Remediation technicians know how to assess the building for the following:
- Structural Damage: Structural issues are common in a fire-damaged home, and the technicians will evaluate the stability of support beans, ceilings, floors, and walls.
- Smoke Damage: Unfortunately, smoke travels, which means multiple areas of your home might experience damage, even if the fire was relatively minor.
- Item Inventory: Experts will create a complete inventory of your belongings and decide on which are salvageable. They’ll also document any losses for your insurance company.
Supporting you through the insurance claims process
If you have an insurance policy, you should be able to receive financial assistance for any repairs. However, securing the right amount of money can be challenging.
So, we make it easier for you by meeting the insurance company adjuster on-site and explaining the damage to ensure you receive the amount you’re entitled to.
Water and smoke damage restoration
Water and foam can extinguish fires, but they also create excess moisture. Removing this moisture is essential, as it can lead to mold growth and cause further damage to your building’s structural elements.
The water damage restoration process involves the following steps:
- Water Extraction: Sump pumps enable us to remove standing water and excess moisture from affected rooms.
- Mold Prevention Treatments: Mold spores love moisture, and failing to treat these areas immediately could create health hazards. We use advanced mold prevention treatments to prevent growth in damp areas.
- Drying Equipment: Once excess moisture is removed from the environment, we’ll use specialist equipment to dry it. This can take a couple of days to around a week, depending on the scale of your damage.
Smoke damage restoration
Soot residue and smoke damage can cause long-term aesthetic damage, lingering odors, and respiratory problems. Removing all soot and smoke residue is vital to ensuring your property is safe for occupancy.
We use industry-grade cleaning equipment, including HEPA vacuums and air scrubbers, which remove airborne particles and filter out soot residue.
If you have an HVAC system, we’ll clean it to prevent the future spread of soot and smoke particles.
Repairing your personal property
It’s understandable that you want to salvage your belongings, and we’ll always attempt to restore them. However, electronics damaged by fires could be health and safety hazards, and they’ll usually need to be disposed of.
If the items are still damaged after odor removal and drying techniques, we’ll add them to your insurance claim so you can receive compensation.
Reconstructing the property
According to statistics from NYC.GOV, the fire department responded to 23,901 structural fires in 2023 alone.
Unfortunately, even a minor house fire can result in extensive damage and the need for expensive repairs, but addressing the damage immediately can salvage your property and prevent it from becoming uninhabitable.
The stages involved with reconstructing your property depend on the damage, but it typically includes:
- Structural Repairs: Any damaged flooring, drywall, support beans, and other items must be rebuilt to ensure structural integrity.
- Electrical Repairs: Fires can destroy your home’s electrical outlets and wiring. These will need to be repaired or replaced to ensure health and safety.
- Fixing the Windows and Roof: We use a network of professional contractors to repair and replace windows. Unfortunately, a damaged roof might take longer to repair – especially if it requires a complete replacement.
- Restoration: Wherever possible, we’ll restore your property to its pre-damage condition, including repairing any fixtures, installing new flooring, and repainting affected rooms.
How long does the fire damage restoration process take?
As you can see, expert fire damage restoration involves multiple stages, and the time it takes depends on the size of your property and any affected areas. When you contact Manhattan Flood Restoration, we’ll visit your building as soon as possible and conduct a full assessment.
After performing emergency measures and documenting the damage (which can take up to 48 hours), we’ll begin the fire damage cleanup process. With repairs and reconstruction, the entire fire restoration process can take between a week and a couple of months.
Get support for fire damage today
Whether human errors or natural disasters caused your fire, seeking the right support is key to a successful restoration. Our fire damage services are designed to give you peace of mind while also reducing your costs.
If you have an emergency, please call (800) 874-8146 today, and we’ll send a restoration team to your building. Alternatively, please use the contact form to arrange a non-urgent visit.
