What To Do When Dealing With Fire Damage in Your Home

10/28/2024 (Permalink)

SERVPRO Team Gutierrez technicians are experts on restoring fire, water and mold damage to help get your property damage to preloss condition.

Life has enough interruptions and bumps along the way without the unwanted disaster of a house fire.

The aftermath is almost as bad, but much longer-lasting. Even small fires can merit the use of a professional restoration company. Cooking fires that spread beyond the stove, barbecue grills that go haywire, and even small appliances that catch fire can cause damage to surrounding areas. 

Small Fires Can Pose High Risks 

While you should never pour water on a grease fire, nor on an electrical one, many times that is a person's first reaction. This can cause even more damage. Cooking fires and electrical shorts are common causes of fire in Montgomery County. It can also create physical risks to people standing nearby. With grease fires, baking soda should be poured into the skillet and any grease or oil that has caught fire outside of the cooking pan or skillet instead of water. 

With electrical fires, the appliance should be unplugged if it can be safely done, but not by pulling on the cord. This can cause the cord to snap, leaving the plug without the cord still in the outlet. The power to the area where this is happening should be shut off at the fuse box as quickly as possible to eliminate the hazard. 

After the Fire is Out, It's Time to Repair the Damage 

After firefighters put out the fire, have someone assess the damages for you. This can often help with insurance documentation. Landlords, if you are renting, will also appreciate if you inform them of the fire, and they can see the damage for themselves. It is every landlord's worst nightmare to have a fire or flood damage their properties. If they can see the amount of damage, they can rest easier knowing the extent of the repairs required. Fires do happen, through nobody's fault, and your landlord will know this. 

Damage can range from blackened walls and countertops to heavily burned surfaces, electrical wires being damaged and requiring replacement, to floors suffering damage so severe they must be replaced to be safe again. Having experts assess and conduct the repairs needed can greatly facilitate insurance claims being resolved, as well. 

Hopefully you will never have to experience a fire in your home, business or building, but if you have recently dealt with this catastrophe and need professional restoration to your residential or commercial property, give SERVPRO Team Gutierrez  a call today at 301-340-1313.

At SERVPRO of Rockville-Olney & Silver Spring North, our technicians are well-trained experts on restoring fire, water and mold-damaged property. No job is too large or too small!