Life can be unpredictable, and no one is exempt from accidents and emergencies. Among the most devastating emergencies that can happen to any homeowner, you’ll find fire and smoke listed on top. Fire can destroy an entire property in just a few short minutes and create a horrific aftermath that the bereft homeowner is left to take care of. If your property has suffered any damage as a result of smoke or fire, it’s important to hire the right smoke and fire damage restoration company.
Fires can occur for a number of reasons in the home and they can be placed into several different categories. Before you hire a fire damage restoration company in your area, it’s important to know which type of fire has affected your home! Fires can be caused by any of the events outlined below:
- Most commonly, fires can burn down a home when they come into contact with combustible solids such as paper, wood, cloth, rubber or plastic.
- Fires may also be caused by solids that liquefy after they catch fire. Therefore, the fire is categorized as being caused by liquids and solids. Usually, materials that fall into this category are plastic, gas, and wax.
- Flammable gases such as butane, propane or hydrogen are often the culprits for destroying entire building complexes!
- Combustible materials such as potassium and sodium can also be solely responsible for a fire in your home or office.
- Electrical fires are a common occurrence in households worldwide and usually, liquids and solids may be responsible for its warpath.
- Cooking oils and fats can devastate a household through fire, and oftentimes, these fires are started in the kitchen. The unfortunate part is that these fires can be doubly more dangerous since the cooking oils and fats overheat.
A home can cause two different categories of damage when it has suffered from the devastating effects of a fire. First and foremost, there’s the fire damage that a restoration company will need to work with. However, along with fire damage, every home will also incur damage caused by smoke. It’s important to understand what smoke damage actually is, therefore, we’ll talk about it below.
The heated flames from a fire can destroy the inside of a home, but from those same flames comes smoke as a result of burning materials. Some items can be burned by smoke and still more suffer permanent damage due to smoke such as discoloration and odors. Smoke and fire will leave behind caustic residue that needs to be remediated by expert hands!
Ways that smoke is formed:
- The most common kind of smoke is called a wet smoke. It is sticky and thick, leaving behind a residual film that affects all surfaces it comes into contact with. In addition to leaving behind a nasty film, this type of smoke leaves behind a permanent odor that can be hard to remove.
- Dry smoke is the second type of smoke that may affect a home. It is caused by materials burning at extremely high temperatures. The fortunate part about this type of smoke is that it can easily be remediated by a professional company and the residue it leaves behind is cleaned with ease. Dry smoke can still leave behind bad odors as the ash from the smoke makes its way into porous surfaces. Though it’s easy to clean up the aftermath of smoke for professional companies, you should never attempt remediation on your own.
- Protein smoke is caused by burning food and organic materials. It is categorized by a lightly colored residue that is hard to see, but easy to smell and feel. In fact, if special care isn’t taken, it can permanently harm wooden surfaces.
- Petroleum smoke is extremely dark and harmful. It is the easiest to spot, but due to its dark color, it can permanently discolor and destroy surfaces it has come into contact with.
If your home has suffered damage caused by smoke or fire, give our trusted Orlando professionals a call! Our company has years of experience, and we know the devastating effects of fire and smoke. The moment your home has come into contact with any of the harmful substances described above, it’s important to act quickly. Remediation is time sensitive and the longer you wait for help; the more damage your property will incur.