Fire, Smoke & Soot Cleanup Requests

Request types we route

• Fire damage cleanup
• Smoke damage cleanup
• Soot removal from walls, ceilings and contents
• Odor remediation
• Post-fire restoration requests
• Water damage caused by fire suppression

Smoke travels further than fire

Smoke follows air pressure and temperature, which means it moves through HVAC returns, wall cavities, attic bypasses and door undercuts into rooms that never saw flame. Soot particles are fine and often acidic, so they settle on and etch surfaces — metal fixtures, appliance finishes, mirrors, laminate. Different fuels leave different residues: protein fires from cooking leave a thin varnish-like film with a strong odor, while synthetic materials leave dry, smeary black soot.

This is why post-fire work is usually more than cleaning. It typically involves identifying which residues are present, cleaning in the right order so soot is not driven deeper into porous materials, addressing HVAC contamination, and treating odor at the source rather than masking it.

Fire suppression water is part of the job

Structures that were hosed down or hit by a sprinkler head often have two problems at once: soot contamination and saturated building materials. In this climate the water side can escalate quickly, so it helps to mention standing water, wet insulation or soaked carpet in your request even when the fire itself was small.

Before submitting a request

• Do not re-enter a structure until the fire department has released it.
• Leave HVAC systems off so soot is not circulated further.
• Photograph affected rooms and contents before cleaning or discarding anything.
• Note the source and approximate time of the fire in your description.