Because there are so many factors at play, fire damage involves everything from extracting water and removing damaged materials, to deep cleaning and eliminating odors.

It is crucial that you begin clean up as soon as possible after fire damage. As mentioned, untreated water damage can cause mold to grow, but another huge factor is ash. Ash is acidic so it will start to react with other things in the house almost immediately. Here is a general timetable:

• Within minutes, ash will begin to discolor things that are close to the fire and plastic items.
• Within hours, ash will begin to yellow the finishes on your appliances and fiberglass material.
• Within days, ash will permanently discolor your walls, upholstery and clothing. It will also start corroding metal, causing it to rust.

In addition to ash, small smoke and soot particles can easily find their way throughout your house, making their way to ducts and vents, entering your HVAC system, and getting into the tiniest cracks. In this way, your fire damage can spread to areas of the house that weren’t even part of the fire.

THE IMPORTANCE OF QUICK CLEANUP

As you can see, when the fire trucks drive away, the damage is not over and it can be made worse the longer you let the house sit. If not attended to right away, the costs of repair and restoration can skyrocket after just a few weeks.

Another reason why quick cleanup is important is the health impacts of fire and smoke damage. Small smoke and soot particles can be inhaled, causing lung irritation and respiratory damage. This can lead to heart disease, asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory diseases – and people with weaker immune systems, such as children and the elderly, are even more susceptible. The smoke odors in the house can also cause nausea and headaches.

Because of the potential for spreading damage and health effects, you should begin your fire damage cleanup right away. That’s why the next phone call you make after calling the fire department should be a call to Autumn Construction Inc.

THE FIRE DAMAGE CLEANUP PROCESS

It’s important to let professionals deal with fire damage, because the do-it-yourself approach can lead to missing infected areas, which ca

n cause damage and health problems down the road. The professional disaster relief crew at Autumn Construction inc has been trained in the exact procedures and scientific methods of fire cleanup, and they have the advanced equipment needed for the job.

The fire damage cleanup process can take a few months, but Autumn Construction inc has a process set up to minimize your damage, locate all damaged areas, and get you the most in your insurance claim:

You can call Autumn Construction Inc after the fire is out and smoldering has died down. We serve the counties of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo and our goal is to get to your home within an hour and a half (although this could vary based on drive time).

Secure the Home

Our first response is to secure your home. We have plywood readily available, so we board up windows and doors to prevent vandalism. If needed, we also tarp the roof.

Insurance Inventory

The next important step is to do a thorough inventory of salvageable and unsalvageable items. We help to create a detailed inventory of all the contents of the home, which is needed for insurance claims.

Cleanup

After that, cleanup begins. Cleanup includes taking out the contents of the home, cutting out fire damaged areas, removing soot, odor control, deep cleaning and more. We conduct a thorough inspection to make sure all damaged spots are captured – ALL of the fire and smoke damage, even the damage that spread to areas that were not in the fire. Your whole home needs to be assessed properly so all damage is fixed. This full and detailed list will help in maximizing your insurance claim.

Reconstruction

In the final stage, it’s time to go into reconstruction. Our fire relief project managers work hard to get you every penny to restore your home back to its former state. Many homeowners also see this as a chance to turn a negative into a positive. By contributing a little extra money you can actually get a remodeled home – not just a return to normal, but instead you can get those improvements you’ve wanted in order to create your dream home.

Contact Us Today
We provide cleanup and restoration services in Santa Maria, Nipomo, Orcutt, Arroyo Grande, Pismo Beach and other cities and towns in the Santa Barbara county and San Luis Obispo county areas.

Autumn Construction Inc is available 24/7. As soon as you experience fire damage, call us at (757) 337-5320 to get your fire damage cleanup and restoration started.