Residential Lightning Damage

1/8/2019 (Permalink)

Here at SERVPRO of Belle Meade/ West Nashville, we handle fire damages caused by lightning strike roughly twice yearly on average, and 2018 was no exception. This past June, we began the work necessary to complete fire damage remediation on a local residence caused by lightning; the owner was at home and caught it quickly, so the fire itself was contained right away, but the smoke from that fire did a lot more damage than the actual flames itself, so there was still much to be done.

When the lightning hit the residence, it traveled through the electrical lines to one of the home’s electrical boxes, which then caught fire. The foyer of the home, a large entryway with a high vaulted ceiling, sustained the greatest damage, mainly where walls and ceiling met. Standing inside this area, sunlight could be seen coming in through the hole made in the roof by the fire. The home’s bonus room also experienced some damages, and the SERVPRO mitigation team went in with chem-sponge that was used to clean soot off of the walls, and they then worked from the bonus room area where the greatest damage was, moving back to other spaces further away until no soot particles were found. In doing this, SERVPRO of Belle Meade/ West Nashville ensured that no fire damage or smoke damage went untreated. The affected walls in all of the damaged rooms were painted after the cleanup was completed, with drywall replaced where necessary.

It was also found that the garage door opener had shorted out during the event, so this was replaced, as well as the electrical box that caught on fire, with a complete replacement of the melted wiring to that unit.

Our professional in-house crew used a white-glove treatment on this residence and completed the entire project quickly; from the first contact to completion, the restoration project took a little over two weeks.

Here at SERVPRO of Belle Meade/ West Nashville, we are proud to serve the residents of West Nashville, especially when the worst happens. In the event of fire damage or water damages large or small, we’re here to help. And don’t forget - we’re also mold remediation experts! Call us today.