Fire Damage Clean Up: Behind the Mess

According to the NFPA, house fires are much more common than people actually think. Between the years 2011-2015, the U.S. fire departments reported around 358,000 residential home fires every year. The reported house fire cases caused a total of 2,695 deaths, 12,000 injuries, and property damage that averages around a whopping $7 billion.

House fires are caused by various things such as open flames, accidents, and even cooking. Surprisingly, around 50% of those fires come from the kitchen. Although it’s rare that the fires come from other places in the home, a small percentage of fires still happen in the attic, laundry room, or basement.

Even though the chances may be slim, a basement fire can be deadly.

Basement fires are highly dangerous because of its nature. Most basements have flammable and hazardous materials with a limited amount of exits. Besides, where else can you store your cleaning supplies and tools? Also, a basement fire’s structural damage is significant so a professional and thorough cleanup is needed.

The residue left behind

One of the main issues after a basement fire is the smoke. During a fire, it rises and enters the home’s HVAC system and goes through the entire house, causing more damage and requires cleanup in every room.

Cleaning up is never fun and with substantial damage, the residue won’t go away with just some baking soda and vinegar. Good news is, there is a specialist and niche service called basement fire damage restoration that provides expertise and experience for your home fire cleanup.

Steps of a clean up

Cleaning up after fire damage is more than mopping the floors and wiping smoke residue from the walls.

The first step is assessing the damage. Then the restoration company will start the clean up and make sure to prevent further damage to ensure that the home will not continue to deteriorate. Depending on the company and their licensing and the laws in your state, a company can also do home repairs.

What does it cost?

Restoring a basement with fire damage will surely cost something however it all depends on the damage. The average cost of repairing and restoring smoke damage is around $3000. If a fire causes a basement to flood, it might increase the cost of restoration. This can vary from $500-10,000.

An important factor in the cost of fire damage restoration if the amount covered by your insurance. Depending on the coverage and the details of the fire, the insurance should cover some of the cleanup. So, it’s very important to get the right information from your insurance company before undertaking any work.