Recommendations for Residential Fire and Smoke Cleanup Procedures

What to do when you have had a fire and smoke loss?

Fires can start in the home at any time. In the usual case, fires start in a residence when a flammable material is exposed to too much heat, and oxygen accelerates the material to catch on fire. The material will only catch fire if it is able to burn, has an oxygen source, and if there is a fuel around that needs to make a suitable catalyst for the fire. Once a flame is ignited fires are able to keep going by a heat process that releases energy as heat. Generally speaking, fires also need to have a steady supply of oxygen at the site to keep going.
Fires in structures typically start as a fixed structure fire, such as in a kitchen. These types of fires are called confined fires such as cooking fires, fires in the chimney or flue of a fireplace or in an apartment building in a confined incinerator area. Confined fires can also include:
•    Trash fires
•    Bailer room fires
•    Commercial compactor fires
Building fires are referred to as non-confined fires, and most of the casualties of people being hurt in a fire happen here in these situations.
The materials that are most likely to catch on fire in and around the home are:
•    Pressed wood or paper
•    Waxed paper
•    Fiber board, particle board, hard board
•    Plywood
•    Cardboard
•    Round tinder
•    Wood chips, sawdust, shavings
•    Wood pulp
•    Food starch
•    Grease, fat, butter
•    Hay or straw
•    Rubber
•    Coal, briquettes, peat
•    Tobacco
•    Grain and natural fibers
•    Leather
•    Cork
•    Cooking oil
•    Kerosene
•    Gasoline
•    Turpentine, butyl alcohol
•    Ether, ethanol
•    Fabric, silk, fur, plastic coated fabric
•    Human hair, wigs
•    Glue, tar, pitch, resin
•    Paint, varnish
•    Natural gas
When using the kitchen for cooking, it is important to ensure that there are no materials nearby to the cook top or top areas of the oven. Many unattended fires begin when food being prepared on the stove is left unattended, and the item nearest to the flame becomes overheated and catches on fire.

In the case that you experience a fire, smoke damage, soot damage, water damage, water damage restoration, flooded basement, flood restoration, flood, floodwater intrusion or a backup of sewage at our residential or commercial property in East Alabama, just give us a call for fast floodwater, flood or sewage remediation services. We are able to come to you 24/7 whenever you have a water damage issue at your home or office environment. Just call us today! We will come to you any time that you need us, and remediate your water damage, floodwaters or sewage backup quickly and safely. Call now!

References
www.nfpa.org.