Recent Fire Damage Posts

Why Choose SERVPRO for Fire Damage?

6/16/2023 (Permalink)

Man in burnt structure SERVPRO is prepared to help restore your home or building like it never happened!

Experiencing a fire in your home or business is a devastating event that can leave you feeling overwhelmed and helpless. The aftermath of a fire can be chaotic, with extensive damage to property, lingering smoke odors, and potential health hazards. In such situations, it's crucial to seek professional help to mitigate the damage and restore your property to its pre-fire condition. One company that stands out in the field of fire damage restoration is SERVPRO. In this blog post, we'll explore the reasons why calling SERVPRO of Burlingame, Millbrae is the right move after experiencing fire damage.

Time is of the essence when dealing with fire damage. The longer the soot, smoke, and water from firefighting efforts remain, the more extensive the damage becomes. SERVPRO understands the urgency of the situation and offers a rapid response service, available 24/7. 

Fire Damage needs Swift Action. Fire Damage needs SERVPRO.

4/4/2023 (Permalink)

house on fire SERVPRO will be there a few minutes after these brave boys go back to the station!

If your home or business experienced any fire damage during the Holiday Season, you need to act quickly to handle the cleanup, and the first step is finding a Fire Damage Cleanup and Restoration Company, and that company is SERVPRO of Burlingame, Millbrae! We specialize in finishing the entire job, from cleaning walls, ceilings, and floors, to deodorizing carpets and upholstery, to cleaning out air ducts, which can keep the smell of smoke alive in your home for weeks if not taken care of. If you hire a cleanup and restoration company that only finishes half the job and moves along (almost certainly charging you the same price despite doing an inferior job!), your damage won’t actually be fully restored, and you’ll be back to where you started. So get someone who can do it right the first time and finish the job with excellence.

Restoring Your Home After a Fire

8/17/2022 (Permalink)

How Do You Restore a House After a Fire

Having your home and belongings damaged by a fire can be devastating for everyone involved. However, by getting content cleaning and fire restoration services on the job right away and investing in a few things like dry-cleaning and content storage, you can help to bring your home back to its former glory. There are a few steps you should follow to get everything on track for recovery:

  • Getting in touch with your insurance company
  • Locating a reliable fire and smoke cleanup crew
  • Finding a storage space for undamaged belongings

Contacting Insurance

After dealing with emergency services, your insurance company should be the first call you make. Your insurance professionals can help estimate how much your repairs will cost and direct you to fire cleaning professionals in Burlingame, Millbrae who are covered by your homeowners' insurance. This can help you get the financial support you need during the recovery process.

Choosing Your Crew

While your insurance company will likely suggest and endorse a number of cleanup crews, it’s ultimately up to you to decide who you want to trust with your home content cleaning. Do your research and find a company that has a reputation for getting the job done right and for following up on their results after you’re settled back into your home.

Finding Storage Solutions

During your cleanup process, crews are likely to use machines and chemicals that rid your home of smoke smells. It’s always a good idea to move undamaged belongings into a storage unit until your home is completely repaired to protect them from dust, debris, and even water from damaged roofing or pipes. Dry cleaning may be appropriate for some minimally damaged belongings.

Between dry-cleaning, working with insurance agents, and all of the other steps of content cleaning after a fire, the home recovery process can be a long one. However, it’s well worth it to feel safe and secure in your own home again.

Fire Mitigation Process

6/12/2022 (Permalink)

When you have a fire it can be devastating. Most of the time the hard part is losing so much of your content. When you have fire damage, you also have soot, odor, and water damage.

We at SERVPRO of Burlingame, Millbrae want to help restore as much as we can for you. We have specialized training in doing just that.

First, we do an inspection and fire damage assessment to begin to form a plan of action.

Immediately if needed, we will properly board up your home and a roof tarp. 

The water removal will begin immediately as well as the drying.

We have specialized equipment and techniques to remove smoke and soot from ceilings, walls, and other surfaces.

We will clean, disinfect, and sanitize all of the restorable items. 

SERVPRO of Burlingame, Millbrae can even help you with the restoration process afterward! Give us a call for any and all questions you may have about the fire mitigation process!

Is Your Family Prepared For a Fire?

5/17/2022 (Permalink)

Smoke alarm Know your smoke alarm’s noise and be familiar with what it means.

You never envision a fire in your Burlingame, Millbrae home, but you should be prepared for one. Preparation can be the difference between a disaster being manageable or catastrophic. There are a few ways to get your household ready to go if there is a fire in your home. SERVPRO of Burlingame, Millbrae is here to help!

The most important preparation tool for your household is a Fire Escape Plan. Most people think they have one, but are they really prepared? Here’s a look at what a Fire Escape Plan really consists of so you can execute one if you have a fire:

  • Make sure everyone knows two escape routes from each room
  • Establish a rallying point outside
  • Make sure everyone can contact each other and emergency services
  • Know your smoke alarm’s noise and be familiar with what it means
  • Stay calm! If you have a plan, you do not need to panic during a fire
  • Draw your plan out! Label all rooms and exit points
  • Practice your Fire Escape Plan twice each year

This is very important for you and your household to have. Practicing is key! If you practice your plan and are comfortable with it, then you should be just fine in the event of a fire.

Let’s say you do have a fire, and you execute your Fire Escape Plan to keep your Burlingame, Millbrae household safe. What do you do next? After you contact emergency services, you need to begin getting your home back to preloss condition. There’s no one better to do this than SERVPRO of Burlingame, Millbrae. Here’s a look at what we can do for you if your home experiences fire damage:

  • Board up and roof tarping
  • Water damage clean up from firefighting effort
  • Smoke removal
  • Soot removal
  • Cleaning and sanitization
  • Restoration
  • Carpet and upholstery cleaning
  • Caring for your belongings

SERVPRO of Burlingame, Millbrae is faster to any size disaster and is committed to helping our local area. Call us today at (650) 651-7290 or visit our Website if you experience a fire. Remember to practice your Fire Escape Plan, and after you experience a fire, SERVPRO of Burlingame, Millbrae is here to help!

What Does Fire Damage Restoration Involve?

5/4/2022 (Permalink)

house on fire You can contact our professionals 24/7. Our fire damage experts are trained in fire & smoke restoration, odor control, upholstery and fabric cleaning.

Burlingame, Millbrae Remediation Services Generally Restore Fire-Damaged Homes by Removing Soot Residues, Deodorizing Interiors, and Replacing Things Beyond Repair.

The damage a fire does to your Burlingame, Millbrae home involves much more than burned structural elements and furnishings. A large part of the harm a house fire does results from the soot residues and odors produced by the burning, or combustion, process. In this process, heat converts solid materials into gases but, since the reaction is almost always inefficient, it leaves behind waste products in the form of harmful residues and airborne particles. These waste products include:

Corrosive residues that could discolor and further damage any surfaces they are deposited on

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which often smell like asphalt or car tires could be detrimental to your health if breathed in

Other persistent odorous airborne particles

If not cleaned up quickly and correctly, these residential fire leftovers can further harm your property. Moreover, they might also negatively impact your health.

How Do Local Fire Damage Restoration Companies Like SERVPRO Handle Soot Residues?

One of the most troublesome issues faced by Burlingame, Millbrae fire damage restoration services following a fire is cleaning up soot residues. These wastes are the solid remnants of burned materials, and they are left where something burns or is deposited around your home by smoke. Since smoke can travel almost anywhere, even into the most difficult-to-access parts of your house, it can be quite challenging to find and remove. If not found and cleaned up swiftly, these often acidic deposits can corrode metallic surfaces and change the color of any materials they land on. In order to effectively deal with residues and prevent these problems, SERVPRO of Burlingame, Millbrae technicians employ the following methods and gear: 

Eliminating difficult to remove charred smoke residues with wire brushes, scraping techniques, or abrasive blasting

Using the peroxide active cleaning method to remove thick residues from delicate surfaces and materials

Wiping away non-grease residues around your home with dry-cleaning sponges

Whatever residues your residence has, we usually have the right tools and techniques to safely remove them.

What Methods Does SERVPRO of Burlingame, Millbrae Use to Resolve Airborne Issues Like Residual Smoke and Persistent Odors?

After a fire, your house may still have residual smoke and the airborne particles that go along with it. It also likely suffers from persistent foul, fire-related smells. These result from the odorous particles and compounds produced by the fire found in both smoke particles and deposited residues. In order to rid your residence of airborne issues like residual smoke and unpleasant odors, SERVPRO:

Ventilates your house with high-velocity box fans and advanced air movers to remove smoke and smells related to it

Uses air-filtering scrubbers to replace interior air, fouled by noxious gases and odorous particles, with cleaner exterior air

Neutralizes unwanted smells with Vaportek systems and Ozone machines

Cleans your HVAC ducts with specialized systems that prevent it from spreading damaging odorous particles around your home

Cleans impacted exterior areas of your home with pressure washers

Employs ultra-low volume and thermal foggers to deodorize affected surfaces and materials around your residence

Deodorizes upholstery and carpets with high-tech injection devices

These actions are often highly effective in returning your home to its pre-fire condition. After SERVPRO technicians have finished, homeowners are usually surprised to find that their residences no longer smell like smoke and seem to have never even experienced a fire.

How Do Air Movers, One of SERVPRO’s Most Useful High-Tech Ventilation Tools, Work?

One of our most useful ventilation tools is air movers. Air movers are mechanical devices that are more effective than regular fans in higher pressure, post-fire environments. Their other key benefits are they often use less energy than other ventilation appliances and exchange air more rapidly because of their higher operating velocities. Unlike typical fans, air movers have a rotor instead of a propeller and, using centrifugal force, suck in and blow out fouled air rather than simply pushing it around. This has the ultimate effect of clearing smoky, particle-filled air from your home in a timelier manner.      

Remember, the risk of fire is always present, no matter where you live. Considering this, it is exceedingly important that you anticipate potential fire events, take the proper precautions to avoid them whenever possible, equip your home with essential fire safety equipment like smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, have a planned escape route before a fire ever occurs, and know what your local options are if you ever need fire damage repair. With that said, whatever you do, there is no way to entirely safeguard your home from fire damage. While this is not a comforting thought, it does indicate the importance of having good fire damage restoration services like SERVPRO of Burlingame, Millbrae in the local area.

So, if your home ever experiences a fire, contact SERVPRO of Burlingame, Millbrae at (650) 651-7290 for help restoring its fire damage.

Tips to Prevent Kitchen Fires

4/28/2022 (Permalink)

Kitchen fire Safety tips to avoid fire damage from cooking equipment

A leading cause of fire damage and fire injuries in the home comes from cooking equipment. SERVPRO of Burlingame, Millbrae wants to be there for you if this ever happens in your home.

SERVPRO of North Pensacola shares these tips to help prevent fire damage. They make more sense than not cooking at home.

  • Many kitchen items can catch fire, including dishtowels, oven mitts, recipes, wooden tools, and loose clothing
  • Never operate the stove or oven when you are tired or have been drinking alcohol
  • If you are frying, broiling, grilling, or boiling food, stay in the kitchen. If you leave, even for a short time, turn off the heat
  • Keep flammable items at least three feet from the stovetop
  • Do not allow children within two to four feet of the stove or oven
  • If you must leave the house while cooking of any kind, turn off the heat sources

Remember that fire is fast. If you cannot contain a fire immediately, leave and bring everyone with you. Call 9-1-1 from outside the home.

SERVPRO of Burlingame, Millbrae reminds you that fire prevention is the best strategy against fire damage.

House fire in Menlo Park

2/16/2022 (Permalink)

Green Air Scubber Air Scrubber to remove smoke smell.

Team SERVPRO Offers Remediation Services Regardless if the Fire Damage is Large or Small

It is never a pleasant experience when a fire starts inside your Burlingame, Hillsborough, Millbrae home. Fires not only threaten the safety of you and your family but are costly to repair as well. The heat, flames, and smoke produced by fire many times cause extensive damage to your building.
 
Whether the fire is small or large, it is a smart move to let the professionals come in and assess the situation. SERVPRO's fire damage experts in Burlingame, Hillsborough, and Millbrae are IICRC certified and have experience with different types of scenarios.
 
Both the heat and smoke created by a blaze cause different types of damage to your home. Flames burn contents and building materials inside the building. Smoke spreads throughout the structure leaving behind soot and foul odors. Our professional crews at SERVPRO get taught how to mitigate fire damage by putting each case into a category based on the severity of the damage.
 
In fire damage situations, there are three main types of severity. Putting each damage scenario into a certain level of severity helps our specialists know what types of methods to use when mitigating the problem. The three levels are minor, medium, and major fire damage.
 
In minor fire damage situations, smoke residues only affect individual rooms of the building that are near the source. The amount of soot left behind from the smoke is minimal. Very few areas get re-painted, and only some minor items get replaced. Most of the mitigation process involves wet and dry cleaning of the ceiling, walls, and other surfaces.
 
In medium fire damage cases, the amount of smoke residues is moderate and more areas need wet cleaning. The areas that need to be re-painted and items that require replacement increase. Most of the time with medium fire damage contents inside the home get cleaned on-site, but there is heat damage to building materials.
 
In major fire damage scenarios, there is a lot of heat and flame damage at the fire's source, and structural charring is even possible. In these cases, emergency procedures such as boarding up the exterior of the building and detailed cleaning of the structure possibly take place. The building gets filled with smoke damage and foul odors, and usually, our crews must pack out the house and clean the contents offsite.
 
No matter how severe the damage in your home is, hiring professionals always gets you the best results. SERVPRO of Burlingame, Millbrae can be reached at (650) 651-7290, and we are available 24 hours a day and seven days a week to help you.