What to Do In Case of Fire Damage

8/9/2021 (Permalink)

If your Jacksonville Beach or Ponte Vedra Home experiences fire damage, we'll be there to help you restore your home and navigate the process ASAP!

How frequently do house fires occur? Would it surprise you to learn that a fire department in the United States responds to a fire every 24 seconds? Hopefully, your home will never make it into that frightening statistic. If it does ever happens to you, here’s what to do once the smoke has cleared and the fire department has left the scene.

• Don’t plan to immediately move back into the house. Even the parts of the house that weren’t damaged by the flames can be dangerous for people to inhabit. Smoke damage can cause soot and smoke to stick to the walls, floors, and furniture, which makes it dangerous for you to breathe. Fire can also cause electrical hazards and affect ducts and insulation in your walls, attic, and crawl space.
• Make sure cleanup is handled properly and promptly. Soot and ash discolor surfaces, and the longer you wait to clean it off of your belongings, the worse that discoloration will be, and the lower the likelihood will be that it can be returned to preloss condition. In fact, after just a few days, discoloration of walls and fabric items can become permanent. Left for weeks, the residue left behind by a house fire can corrode metal, permanently etch glass, and cause wood and vinyl surfaces to deteriorate to an irreparable degree.
• Call in the professionals. Cleaning up the damage left behind by fire requires meticulous care. If it isn’t handled with extreme caution, soot residue can contaminate the entire building. What’s more, fire restoration experts know what can and cannot be salvaged and have the equipment and products needed to comprehensively clean your home. Professionals also know how to work with insurance adjusters, and can often bill the insurance company directly, making the process much easier for you.
• Call your insurance company. Your homeowner’s insurance will cover damage to your home from a fire or smoke. This includes damage caused by a fire at a neighboring building, as well as damage caused by wildfires. The house, fences, driveway, sheds, and other structures on your property are also protected. Homeowner’s insurance also covers the cost of most personal items lost in a fire, and typically also covers additional living expenses, even for months at a time if necessary, while you regroup. Other people on your property at the time are also covered. The only time a homeowner’s policy will not cover damages from a fire is if you or someone else named on your policy caused the fire intentionally.

If your property sustains fire damage, you don’t have to go it alone. If you’ve suffered through a home fire in your Northeast Florida home, call SERVPRO of Jacksonville Beach/Ponte Vedra for help with fire restoration. Our highly-trained restoration technicians have the experience and equipment to restore your Jacksonville Beaches area home and get everything back to normal. A trusted leader in the fire damage restoration service industry, we’ve served our community for more than 40  years. Call (904) 246-6118 or contact us through our website to get the restoration care you deserve.