Fire Damage Tips Before Help Arrives

2/23/2021 (Permalink)

Fires often occur unexpectedly and for bizarre reasons. Maybe you forgot to blow out your bathroom candle before you went to work, the kitchen grease caught fire, static electricity made your dryer vent go up in flames, or a fire originated from one of a host of other sources. Regardless of where the fire started, the facts are the facts: fire damage can do a serious toll on your home or business—oftentimes, you’re not only dealing with burnt possessions, but soot, ash, and smoke are quite literally everywhere.

The longer your property sits in the aftermath of a fire, the more damage may occur, so it’s integral to take the following steps after a fire blazes through your property and you’re waiting for professionals to arrive to assess the situation and restore what they can.

1) Limit movement within the affected space.

Any movement in or out of the space affected by fire may stir up soot and cause even more damage than what’s already occurred. Soot particles very easily embed themselves into just about everything imaginable within your property, so take great caution to not cause them to sink any further into the surfaces they’re currently covering. 

2) Take pictures of the damage.

We can’t emphasize this step enough. If only one area of your property is affected and you can enter it to document the damage, take all the photos you can of your damaged possessions to file with your business or homeowner’s insurance claim. Having picture proof of what happened will be essential to ensuring you get the money that you’re owed thanks to whatever coverage you have. 

3) Keep your hands clean and try not to touch things.

Just like we advise you to limit movement throughout your home, make sure that anyone who does traverse through your property has clean hands and touches as few things as possible. Like we said before, soot and ashes from fire damage are super easy to smear throughout your home, causing even more damage than what’s already occurred. 

4) Cover your carpets and upholstery.

Clean towels or old linens should go over all of your carpets, upholstery, and rugs that you’re walking over so that you don’t actively step in any messes or tread things further into your flooring or your home. Fabric and textiles are probably the most difficult items to salvage or clean following a fire if they were directly affected, so you should be careful to cover all the traffic areas in your home.

In addition to these 4 tips to implement while waiting for professional restoration help to arrive at the place of the fire, you can read more about what you should do and also what you should NOT do after a fire here. Whether you experience fire damage, water damage, storm damage, mold, or smoke, SERVPRO of Belle Meade/West Nashville is available 24/7 with highly trained technicians and restoration specialists who are equipped to help you restore your property following a disaster. Put our emergency contact number in your cell so that you can call us whenever you need: (615) 242-9391. This franchise is independently owned and operated.