Things to Do at Your Agoura Home After Fire Damage

2/6/2023 (Permalink)

Fire, smoke, and water all contribute to the need for comprehensive damage cleanup in Agoura.

You Can Rely on SERVPRO for Comprehensive Fire Restoration Solutions in Agoura

Avoiding fire damage is ideal. However, when it happens at your Agoura home, you do not have to focus all your energies on why it happened and what you did wrong. Taking action to counter the damage should be a priority. Steps like checking moisture, managing soils, and inspecting utilities are essential.

A myriad of problems develops in your Agoura home after fire damage. The main issues include darkened surfaces where soot settles, openings where flames consume materials, and pungent odor emitted by the charred residues. Some problems may not be seen, but they are equally significant. Intense heat radiates even into concealed areas, compromising electric cable insulations, resulting in electric shorts later on. Smoke residues can also accumulate within HVAC systems leading to long-term indoor air quality issues. Our SERVPRO restoration crews prepare to tackle the noticeable or hidden issues, restoring preloss conditions.

Since addressing fire damage involves several procedures, it may not be possible to do everything simultaneously, even for a professional restoration team. Prioritizing some actions over others helps create order and convenience. 

Priority Actions During Fire Restoration

• Checking and managing moisture
• Organizing wastes and valuables
• Securing the property

Priority during fire restoration is given if an action can prevent damage from worsening or if it helps reduce hazards for the people entering the damaged property. Moisture is a problem after fire damage since water is the primary agent used to quell intense flames. Scorching fires can damage pipes and other plumbing accessories, releasing water into the structure. If left in place, the moisture causes several problems, including setting soot residues leading to staining or microbial growth resulting in mold. Our SERVPRO technicians rely on visual observation and readings from moisture sensors to determine the immediate action against moisture. Extraction is necessary if there is stagnation, but evaporation and dehumidification handle the situation in most cases.

Creating Order After Fire Damage

One hindrance that can make fire restoration seem more challenging than necessary is the clutter left in properties after such incidents. If the site is disorganized, it is hard to complete tasks like cleanup, and the level of hazards is also heightened since people can trip over scattered objects. Our SERVPRO crews help organize properties after destructive fires by taking several actions like:

• Packing out valuables
• Providing trash receptacles
• Boarding up or setting up containment

Moving contents out of the way creates room for people to move and set up restoration equipment. It is also a way to protect them from exposure to residues and moisture, leading to secondary damages. An example of secondary damage is the accumulation of soot residues inside electronic items, where they might cause overheating or short circuits when the item is later powered on. In most cases, our SERVPRO crews move items within the house, storing them in an unaffected room or section. We can also organize for a move out to an external storage site where necessary.

Creating physical barriers around the property also helps create order. Barriers can involve boarding up the exteriors to seal shattered windows or other openings. Internal barriers may also be necessary to seal off some house sections. The barriers are a way to create order since they help limit debris from spreading or people and animals from accessing. 

SERVPRO of Agoura / Calabasas / Hidden Hills is prepared to take any action necessary to address fire damage at your home, making it "Like it never even happened." Call us at (818) 991-6292.