This May, as the eastern half of the United States was getting soaked to the bone and flood-damage weary, the western states were being bombarded with smoke and fire damage. So much so that both USA Today and Time magazine were already predicting that this year’s fires could prove to be among the worst ones yet. And the news coming out of the Insurance Information Institute wasn’t any rosier.
Last year, Americans were faced with more than 47,000 wildfires that caused heart-stopping fire damages in the millions. Since the start of this year until now, they’ve already handled 900+ fires, which is more than double the amount of events that occurred between January and April 2013. Thus, it unfortunately looks like Time magazine and USA Today’s predictions may very well come to pass.
Residents on the west coast will undoubtedly have to act fast when it comes to wildfire clean up too. That’s partially because wildfire ash can be extremely alkaline and full of salts. As a result, it has the potential to permanently damage surfaces (i.e. discoloration and etching). That’s not even taking into account the odors and acidic nature of smoke or water damage.
Oftentimes, it is best to have a professional crew come in and clean up both the water and fire damage. During the process, household textiles (e.g. drapes and carpets) may need to be removed or deep cleaned by professionals to remove soot, mildew, mold and fire extinguisher emissions. Other items, like kitchen appliances and electronics may also need to be disposed of too.
Afterward, the lingering fire damage odors may be dispatched with the invaluable assistance of an ozone generator. It also has the potential to help tamp down any airborne particulate problems that may still remain after the initial clean up. To learn more about removing water and fire damage odors after a catastrophic event, please contact us at your convenience.
