Fire Damage Restoration

The fire damage restoration process

Fire jobs sequence differently from water jobs because the structure has to be secured and assessed before anything can be cleaned.

• 1. Secure the structure

  Board-up and roof tarping stop weather and unauthorised entry. Insurers generally expect this within hours, and failing to do it can affect a claim.

• 2. Assess structural safety

  Fire weakens framing and connections in ways that are not visible. Nobody should be inside until that is checked.

• 3. Remove water and dry

  Extinguishing water is water damage, with the same 24-to-48 hour mold window. It is frequently the largest part of a fire job by volume.

• 4. Remove debris and unsalvageable material

  Charred material is removed to sound substrate. Attempting to seal over char traps odour permanently.

• 5. Clean soot by residue type

  Dry smoke, wet smoke, protein residue and fuel oil soot each need a different method — the wrong one drives residue deeper into the surface.

• 6. Deodorise

  Odour lives in porous material and in the HVAC system. Thermal fogging, hydroxyl or ozone treatment and duct cleaning address what surface cleaning cannot.

• 7. Restore

  Repair and refinish, from repainting a single room to reconstructing a section of the building.

Smoke damage restoration and why soot type matters

A property that never caught fire can still need full restoration. Smoke travels through cavities, ductwork and open doors, and it deposits residue on everything it reaches.

The residue type determines the method, and getting it wrong makes things worse rather than merely failing to help.

• Dry smoke

  From fast, high-temperature fires. Powdery and comparatively easy to remove, but it travels furthest and settles into cracks and cavities.

• Wet smoke

  From slow, smouldering, low-heat fires. Sticky and strongly odorous; smears badly if wiped, so it needs solvent cleaning rather than pressure.

• Protein residue

  From kitchen fires. Nearly invisible, discolours paint and varnish, and carries a persistent odour that surface cleaning does not touch.

• Fuel oil soot

  From furnace puff-backs. Heavy, greasy and disperses through the whole ducted system in minutes.

What fire damage restoration costs

Fire jobs have the widest cost range in restoration because they span cleaning a smoke-affected room to rebuilding a structure. What moves the number:

• How much is cleaning versus rebuilding

  The dividing line between a five-figure and six-figure job. Smoke-only damage is cleaning; compromised framing is construction.

• Residue type and affected area

  Protein and wet smoke are slower and more labour-intensive per square foot than dry smoke.

• Water damage from extinguishing

  Often overlooked in early estimates and frequently substantial.

• Contents versus structure

  Restoring furniture, electronics and documents is priced separately and is often where the emotional value sits.

• Deodorisation scope

  Whether the HVAC system is included changes both cost and whether the odour actually goes away.

What to do in the first 24 hours

A few decisions in the first day materially affect what can be saved.

• Do not re-enter until it is cleared

  Structural damage and air quality both need checking first.

• Do not wipe soot

  Dry wiping drives residue into porous surfaces and turns a cleanable wall into one that has to be replaced.

• Do not run the HVAC

  It distributes soot through the entire building, including rooms the fire never reached.

• Photograph everything before moving anything

  Including contents. This is the evidence the claim rests on.

• Get the structure secured

  Board-up and tarping protect the property and demonstrate you mitigated further loss.

Fire Damage Restoration: common questions