What happens during fire and smoke damage restoration?

A fire and smoke damage restoration is a sequence of jobs, not one: the fire department makes the building safe, your insurer opens a claim, and a restoration company stabilizes the house, cleans or removes what smoke and soot reached, and hands it to repair contractors. Here is what each stage involves and who does it.

Before any restoration starts

Nothing begins until the building is safe. Ready.gov says to check with the fire department to make sure your residence is safe to enter.^[1] It also says not to attempt to reconnect utilities yourself, because the fire department should make sure that utilities are either safe to use or are disconnected before they leave the site.^[1]

Next comes the claim. Insurers generally want to see the damage before final repairs are made.^[2] Virginia's Bureau of Insurance says insurance companies are required to acknowledge the receipt of your claim within 10 working days.^[2] Ready.gov suggests asking your insurer for instructions on protecting your property, conducting an inventory and contacting fire damage restoration companies.^[1]

What a restoration company does

Exact scopes differ by company and by fire, but most jobs follow the same pattern.

Emergency stabilizing. The first visit usually covers the things that stop damage from growing: boarding up openings, tarping a damaged roof, and removing standing water left by firefighting. The Bureau of Insurance notes that most homeowners policies cover the reasonable costs of emergency clean-up and temporary repairs.^[2] Ask your insurer before you hire, and keep every receipt.

Assessment and inventory. A crew documents what burned, what only smoked, and what can be saved. Contents are usually sorted into items to clean, items to restore off site and items that are a total loss. Do not throw away damaged goods before the inventory is made.^[1]

Debris and damaged material removal. Charred and soaked building materials come out first, because they hold odor and moisture. Cutting out burned framing, drywall and insulation is demolition and sometimes structural work, which is why it belongs to licensed crews.

Soot and smoke cleaning. Smoke leaves residue on every surface, including inside walls, attics and ductwork. Pros use dry and wet cleaning methods chosen for each surface, and they often clean the heating and cooling system too, since it carries smoke through the house. Sealing and deodorizing come after cleaning, not instead of it. Spraying a fragrance over soot only hides it.

Contents cleaning. Clothing, furniture and keepsakes can often be cleaned off site. The EPA suggests that for expensive or sentimental items you consult a specialist, and says to ask for and check references.^[3]

Rebuilding. Once the structure is clean and dry, repair contractors replace insulation, drywall, flooring, paint and whatever else was removed. Ask your locality's building department whether the repairs need a permit before work starts.

What you can do while you wait

Keep to safe, simple tasks. Take photographs before anything is moved, and keep receipts for all of your clean-up expenses.^[2] Notify your mortgage company of the fire.^[1] Ready.gov suggests contacting your local disaster relief service, such as The Red Cross, for temporary housing, food and medicines.^[1] Your policy may also pay extra living costs: the Bureau of Insurance says Additional Living Expense coverage pays for costs you incur that are in excess of your normal living expenses.^[2]

When to call a licensed pro

Soot and smoke removal, structural demolition, rebuilding and anything involving wiring, gas lines or the heating system should go to licensed, insured professionals, not to a homeowner. Burned wiring and damaged gas piping are hazards in their own right.

Virginia requires a contractor licence once a single contract passes $1,000. Under the Code of Virginia, a Class C contractor handles a single contract over $1,000 but less than $30,000, and a Class B contractor handles $30,000 or more but less than $150,000.^[4] Rebuilding after a serious fire often lands in Class B or Class A territory. The Board for Contractors also tells consumers to hire only licensed contractors qualified for the job, with the right class and the right specialty, and to check a licence with License Lookup.^[5] See how to check if a contractor is licensed in Virginia and what to do first after water damage, which is a common companion problem after a fire. For costs, read how much smoke damage cleanup costs in Virginia, and for the first hours, what to do after a house fire.

Browse restoration answers or restoration services, then describe your fire damage once and licensed local businesses will respond.