When your home or business is hit by a fire, the after-effects are devastating. Flames not only cause damage to your physical items and property but smoke and soot cause just as much damage to the health of those in the building.
In the aftermath of the flames, property owners need to respond quickly and bring in a professional restoration company to clean and restore the property immediately. A fast response can counter the smoke and fire damage if you work quickly enough.
Why is Urgency So Important?
Fire damage falls into two categories – primary damage caused by the fire itself and secondary damage caused by the smoke and soot.
- Damage caused by soot starts to form immediately once the fire is extinguished. Soot residue begins to settle over everything on the property. Porous materials may become permanently discolored if not treated quickly. Even professionals are not able to remove the discoloration after it’s set-in.
- If surfaces are exposed to soot for prolonged periods of time, they can become damaged regardless of the material they are made of. This means that they must be discarded.
- Within hours of the fire, most surfaces will be damaged from the flames and water used to extinguish the flames. In most cases, it is necessary to refinish furniture or floors before they begins to rust, mold, and corrode.
- When a building is extinguished with water, the structure has time to expand. Well insulated buildings are perfect for smoke and pressure build-up, leading to blown-out windows, doors, and even roofs. A professional can help keep this damage at bay with proper fire restoration services.
- Soot carries a high acidity level that destroys natural elements like metal and paint. It can also eventually short circuit electronics.
Smoke Damage Can Reach Unexpected Places
In addition to the damage, your home or business will suffer from flames, soot, and extinguishing materials, you will also need to deal with the impact of smoke. Smoke damage can reach places that you would least expect. As your building is engulfed in flames, closets and small spaces are permeated with a smokey smell and chemicals that cling to carpet and fabrics. The hot air from the fire causes the smoke molecules to spread quickly allowing the smoke particles to blow into all areas of the home.
Smoke travels easily and quickly through ductwork, going into places that would typically be protected by fire if the flames did not reach the space. Calling in a professional cleaning crew to rid the property of smoke is important if you want to keep the space smoke-free.
Ridding your space of the smoke ensures you are not breathing in any soot particles, which are a respiratory hazard. Prolonged inhalation of soot particles can lead to serious illness. Only a professional can ensure the proper cleanliness and elimination of soot particles. Disaster restoration contractors have advanced technology that can ensure safe and complete odor removal without damaging the contents of your home or business.
Bring in a Professional Restoration Company
If you experience fire damage in your northern Illinois home, McMahon Services is the answer. Our professional technicians are ready to get your home back to a pre-disaster state. With our fire damage services like odor, soot, and smoke removal, we’ll be your contractor to clean, repair, and restore your home as quickly as possible.
Call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for emergency services after the fire strikes. We’re on call, ready to assist!