Fire Damage Restoration & Cleanup

Fire Damage Restoration & Cleanup in Chicago, Illinois

Fire Disasters in the Home

Seeing your home and precious possessions consumed by fire can be one of the most severe losses that a homeowner can experience. After such a devastating loss, reassurance comes from having clear guidance and support in salvaging as much as possible from fire and smoke damage. At ServiceMaster Quality Restoration Services, our technicians are more than talented professionals; they’re caring people ready to get you back in your home as quickly as possible, while keeping you informed every step of the way through the fire damage restoration and cleanup.

What Are the Common Types of Fires That Can Occur?

Protein Fire – Food from the oven or stove has burned, leaving strong burnt food odors and smoke residue on contents and surfaces.
Complex Fire – Multiple natural and synthetic items inside your home have burned causing black smoke residue on contents and surfaces and synthetic smoke odors. Here, emergency corrosion mitigation is needed to protect at-risk surfaces.
Natural Fire – Trees, shrubs and bushes have burned and smoke has penetrated the structure from outside, so smoke residue and odor are present.
Furnace Malfunction – Heating appliances such as oil-fired furnaces have malfunctioned and caused smoke to be distributed throughout the property.

Fire Damage Dos and Don’ts

What to Do If You’re in the Middle of a Loss

Corrosive by-products can cause irreversible etching in as few as 72 hours. Call for professional help
If the temperature is above 60 degrees, air out the house to reduce smoke odor.
Clean laminate surfaces as well as chrome, porcelain and aluminum fixtures to prevent permanent tarnishing or etching.
Change the air filter on your furnace if it uses forced hot air.
Tape damp cheesecloth over returns and supply registers to capture loose soot in the air.
Discard any open food packages.
If the electricity is off, clean out the refrigerator and leave doors propped open.
Send clothing with heavy smoke damage to a qualified restoration dry cleaner.

What Not to Do

Do not touch anything with your bare hands. Oil from your hands can permeate upholstery, walls and woodwork, causing additional damage.
Do not wash walls. Incorrect cleaning could compound the soot residue.
Do not attempt to clean carpets or upholstered furniture.
Do not use electrical appliances until having them checked.
Do not use ceiling fixtures if the ceiling is wet.

Don’t Try to Do It Yourself!

The residue left behind after a fire is a biohazard and can cause health problems if it is not taken care of correctly and thoroughly. You do not want to attempt to clean up your home on your own after a fire or you may cause more damage. Only experts with the right training and tools can assure the job is done properly.

Not All Fire Damage Is the Same. Our Fire Restoration Process Is Thorough and Proven.

Identifying the source to determine the type of fire that occurred
Evaluating the areas that are wet as a result of firefighting that may need treatment
Remediating water damage (if any)
Evaluating sensitive materials that may be damaged as a result of smoke and soot particles
Removing contents from the home, including:
- Collecting immediate items you may need for the next seven days such as clothing, prescriptions, toys, school books, business needs, etc
- Packing out the remaining contents for cleaning and storage
Performing structural restoration, including:
- Removing any charred contents that may seal in smoke such as insulation and burned wood
- Evaluating carpets and floor coverings that may need to be removed
- Inspecting the framing of the house and subfloors for safety
- Treating affected surfaces for smoke odors and sealing to keep any leftover odors from leaking back into the house
Cleaning, eliminating odors and deodorizing surfaces to pre-loss condition
Returning items to the original location and helping to restore your normal life

Fire Damage Cleanup

Structural Cleaning

Even when the fire is out, the damage continues. Much of the material found in furniture and flooring is synthetic. When burned, synthetics create a variety of complex chemical reactions. After only a few days, these items go from cleanable to unsalvageable. Our technicians at ServiceMaster Quality Restoration Services are experts in understanding the chemical combinations that can effectively clean and salvage belongings. They can even remove soot from at-risk items such as brass, aluminum, chrome, marble, tile and porcelain as well as fabrics in upholstery and carpets, thus helping to avoid additional expenses. The faster you react, the better chance of salvaging your belongings.

Content Removal/Packing

In the event of a fire loss, often times your personal belongings are affected and in order to properly mitigate the loss, it is often necessary to remove your belongings from your property to not only restore the structure but also your textiles, furniture, etc. Not all of your belongings may be affected or contaminated, but removals from the property would ensure a more effective and efficient restoration.

Fire Damage Services

Our Fire Damage Restoration & CleanUp Services Include:

Initial inspection
Insurance company contact and direct billing
Board-up services
Pack-out and move-in services
Remove, dispose and haul away affected material
Sanitize and disinfect structural materials

Content cleaning
Treatment for smoke odor
Water damage restoration
Final inspection
Repair services (drywall replacement, carpet installation, etc.)

With ServiceMaster Quality Restoration Services, you benefit from more than 60 years of home fire restoration expertise and ongoing guidance throughout the process.

24/7/365

Quick response and action are critical. The more time that elapses before treatment, the greater the damage.

Industry Leadership

For more than 60 years, we have come through for homeowners as a highly reputable, licensed, insured and endorsed provider of fire and smoke restoration services.

Best-of-Class Methods

Our methods and processes meet or exceed industry standards.

IICRC Trained Restoration Technicians

Our experts have completed advanced training in fire mitigation, restoration and corrosion control. We also require Continuing Education to learn about new techniques and equipment to better serve you in your time of need.

Insurance Capabilities

We understand that as the property owner, you deserve clear and thorough communication, and we will give our full cooperation to both you and your insurance claims representative.

We’ve Got You Covered with a Comprehensive Range of Fire Damage Services:

Smoke Damage

Fire Damage Insurance Claims

We work with all insurance companies for your fire damage cleaning and disaster restoration services from start to finish to get your claim completely covered. Our direct billing service is free of charge. You have enough to worry about, let us handle your fire damage cleaning.

Call Us Today