Recent Fire Damage Posts

Trust in SERVPRO to Handle Your Fire Disaster | SERVPRO® of Southern Washington County

2/9/2023 (Permalink)

img src =”fire” alt = "a small house completely engulfed in flames” > For quick repairs following a fire, get in touch with our team at SERVPRO of Southern Washington County.

Home disasters can happen during any season and at any point in time. While any type of home damage can be frustrating to deal with, house fires are particularly troublesome. Once a fire starts, it can spread quickly and get out of hand in minutes.

Recovering after a house fire can feel overwhelming for everyone in your household, but you can rest assured knowing that your SERVPRO of Southern Washington County team is ready to handle your recovery process from start to finish.

Check out our latest blog post below about our thorough response to house fire damage!

Making Contact

Keeping yourself and your family safe from danger should always be your first priority! When everyone is safe and accounted for, your first phone call should be to our team. We are ready and waiting 24⁄7 to respond to your call for help.

In our initial conversation, we will ask many questions to ensure we understand your unique situation as thoroughly as possible. This allows us to pack up our trucks with the equipment and tools necessary to help you fully recover!

Once we arrive in your driveway, we perform a full inspection of your home and the area that the fire affected to assess the severity and make sure the area is safe to be in.

Starting the Process

We work rapidly to make sure the damage doesn’t get any worse while we are working on your home. This can include boarding up windows, patching walls or laying tarps over exposed areas to keep out the elements and prevent more damage.

Our cutting-edge equipment helps us remove all the smoke and soot from every affected area, and we clean out any fire-damaged debris at this time as well. Once the surface area has been cleaned, we can get to work on removing odors and we can sanitize your entire space.

Don’t Forget the Restoration

Now it’s time for your home to return to its former glory! After your home is cleaned and sanitized, we can rebuild the parts that were damaged by the fire. We can replace drywall, paint walls and lay new carpet or flooring.

We can also rebuild entire sections of your house if your project requires it. Whatever you need in order to make the fire a distant memory, our SERVPRO of Pewaukee & Sussex can handle it.

For rapid repairs following a fire, get in touch with our team at SERVPRO of Southern Washington County! We will work as quickly as possible to return you to a safe and fully restored property.

Avoid House Fires While Heating Your Home | SERVPRO® of Southern Washington County

1/25/2023 (Permalink)

img src =”heater” alt = "a small electric heater in a living room” > Call SERVPRO of Southern Washington County if you experience any smoke, soot or fire damage.

There is no doubt about it! Winter is here.

Now that our furnaces have been working for a while and our fireplaces are becoming a staple in the evenings, it is important to be responsible with any source of heat in your home to prevent house fires. If you haven’t already done so, now is the perfect time to address any issues with your furnace or other methods of heat. Since we have already experienced a variety of winter storm watches and warnings this season, having a reliable source of heat is crucial.

If you ignore any issues or don’t maintain your equipment, you could be vulnerable to a house fire! No one wants to deal with that in the dead of winter, so check out our tips below and make these adjustments in your home.

Maintain Your Furnace

Most homes in the Midwest are equipped with a furnace and HVAC system that moves heat throughout the house. This major appliance needs to be maintained regularly.

It is important that you inspect your furnace seasonally to detect any issues or potential malfunctions, and you should give it a good cleaning to avoid excess dust or debris buildup.

You should also make it a priority to replace the air filter in your HVAC system at this time. Most homes can benefit from a new air filter every 90 days, and even more often if you have a large family or pets. Try to get into the habit of changing the filter at the beginning of every new season.

If you haven’t changed your air filter in a while, you may be shocked at how dirty it is! Your air filter works hard every day to keep dust, debris and allergens out of the air you breathe.

Keep Your Fireplace Clean

Both wood-burning and artificial fireplaces are a staple for many Wisconsin homeowners. They can provide an efficient way to heat your home while creating a cozy home environment.

However, fireplaces are a common cause of house fires! They need to be cleaned and maintained often to prevent a fire from occurring.

If your fireplace is wood-burning, clear out excess ash and regularly inspect your chimney to make sure it is free of blockages. It is also important to wipe off any soot and smoke stains on the bricks. If your fireplace is artificial, you need to get behind the glass and provide the logs and surrounding space a good cleaning to remove dust buildup.

The Convenience of Space Heaters

Space heaters are a great way to heat your home or small space quickly. However, they can heat up really quickly and can be fire hazards as well.

If you utilize a space heater in your home, make sure it is three feet away from any flammable materials in your home and always unplug it before going to bed. It is also important to note that space heaters need to be on a level surface when in use and should never be plugged into an extension cord.

Lastly, if you have small children or pets in your home, discuss the dangers of fire and always be present in the room with them if there is a fire or heat source in use.

If you experience fire damage this season, give us a call at SERVPRO of Southern Washington County for immediate assistance. We’re here 24⁄7 when you need us!

Avoid a House Fire This Holiday Season | SERVPRO® of Southern Washington County

11/7/2022 (Permalink)

< img src =”tree.jpg” alt = "a small Christmas tree in front of a burning fireplace " > Should a fire issue pop-up during this holiday season, SERVPRO of Southern Washington County will be on call ready to assist.

Believe it or not, the holiday season is here again already! It is time to start planning out your family traditions, pulling out your cookie cutters and surrounding yourself with twinkly lights.

While this time of year may be one of your favorites, it is also the time that you need to be extra cautious to avoid a house fire.

Protecting Your Decorations

Decorating your home can be a great way to celebrate the season! It also just so happens that many holiday decorations are flammable. In fact, about 790 structural fires happen every year due to decorations catching fire.

If you love to hang stockings over the fireplace or mantel, don’t hang them too low or in the path of any fire or heat source. Even just a single spark could send your precious memories up in flames.

If real trees are a must in your family, the tree you choose needs to be freshly cut! It is also important to inspect it to ensure there aren’t too many dead needles falling off of it, which could indicate that it is dehydrated. Once it is all decorated, only keep it plugged in when you are home and awake.

Other Holiday Fire Hazards

Candles are a cozy way to celebrate the season with some ambiance and delicious smells. But they are also a fire hazard!

During this time of year, candles are responsible for 20 new home fires every day in the United States. If you do light candles, it is important that you only keep them lit when you are near them and never leave them within the reach of children or pets.

Decorating the exterior of your home with lights can make your home seem so welcoming. Just be sure that the lights you choose to hang are rated for outdoor use, and never pierce the wiring with staples or nails in order to hang them up.

You deserve to relax and enjoy all that there is to do in the area this holiday season! Make sure you check out the light display at the Ingleside Hotel. With over 30,000 lights inside the trail and other fun seasonal activities, it is one of the best ways to celebrate.

Our staff at SERVPRO of Southern Washington County is always here and ready to jump into action for you. Our goal is to restore your home as quickly as we can so you can go back to enjoying the holiday season.

Have smoke or fire damage in your house? Contact us today to get cleaned up fast.

Fire Safety at your Campsite

6/21/2021 (Permalink)

Fire Fire

With summer upon us and loads of people wanting to get out of their houses amid the coronavirus, camping and the good ole outdoors has taken famously with the public. SERVPRO of Southern Washington County would like to remind you of some basics when it comes to maintaining and extinguishing your campfire at your campsite. It is your responsibility to maintain and extinguish it to prevent wildfires.

  1. Never cut whole trees or branches, dead or alive. Live materials won’t burn and dead standing trees are often homes for birds and other wildlife.
  2. Once you have a strong fire going, add larger pieces of dry wood to keep it burning steadily.
  3. Don’t burn dangerous things like aerosol cans, pressurized containers, glass or aluminum cans. They could explode, shatter and/or create harmful fumes or dust.
  4. Keep your fire to a manageable size.
  5. Never leave your campfire unattended.
  6. Allow the wood to burn completely to ash.
  7. Pour lots of water on the fire. Drown ALL embers, not just the red ones. Pour until hissing sound stops.
  8. If you do not have water, stir dirt or sand into the embers with a shovel to bury the fire.
  9. With your shovel, scrape any remaining sticks and logs to remove any embers. Make sure that no embers are exposed and still smoldering.
  10. Continue adding water, dirt or sand and stirring with a shovel until all material is cool.

  11. If it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot to leave

Keeping these steps and reminders in mind will not only keep you safe, but keep the campground or nature area you are visiting safe as well!

*Source: smokeybear.com

Fire, Smoke and Soot Restoration Services for your Richfield or Hartford WI Property

6/4/2021 (Permalink)

Fire, Smoke and Soot Restoration Services Fire, Smoke and Soot Restoration Services

Fire, Smoke and Soot Restoration Services

Structural Cleaning:

After a smoke or fire damage, ceilings, walls, woodwork, carpeting and floors will often need a thorough cleaning. A pretest will occur to determine the extent of damage, and then use the specific equipment and cleaning products required to clean and protect the surfaces of your structure. Depending on the amount of soot, we may be able to reduce the cost of recovery. 

Contents Cleaning:

All the restorable contents in affected areas will be professionally cleaned and deodorized. This includes area rugs, furniture, draperies and upholstery. Careful inspection and testing of all fabrics will occur to ensure proper cleaning methods. All other restorable contents such as electronics, wood furniture, kitchen items, bedding clothing and more will be cleaned and deodorized to preloss condition. 

Deodorization

We provide specialized services that rid your structure of odors left by fire or smoke damage. We don't simply cover the lingering odor with fragrance, we seek out the source of the odor and remove it. There is Air scrubbing, thermal fogging and ozone generation. 

If your structure suffered a fire damage call SERVPRO of Southern Washington County at 262.229.7522

Fire Damage Cleanability

4/20/2021 (Permalink)

Fire with Soot Fire with Soot on Walls

Factors Affecting Cleanability in a Fire Damage 

Fire damages create many different cleaning challenges. A burning building is actually many complicated reactions between various elements, including the following:

  • the type of material burning
  • the amount of heat, oxygen and moisture content
  • air flow patterns in the building
  • types of smoke residues present 
  • the types of surfaces impacted by smoke and heat

Depending on how these elements interact as a fire progresses, fire damages can present extremely different cleaning and restoration situations depending on how these elements interact as the fire progresses. Here are factors you should consider to determine how difficult it will be to remove smoke residues. 

  • Type of surface
  • Age of surface
  • Amount of heat
  • Amount of moisture 
  • Type of material burned 
  • Air pressure 
  • Impingement
  • Temperature change

This information is important to SERVPRO of Pewaukee and Sussex in order to determine appropriate cleaning methods in a variety of situations and helps us to improve their inspection, scoping, pretesting, and restorability evaluation on fire projects. 

If your property has a fire damage, call SERVPRO of Southern Washington County. 262.229.7522