Recent Fire Damage Posts
Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration Processes
2/21/2024 (Permalink)
Fire and smoke can damage our residences, but SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow Counties can restore to pre-fire condition.
When the unexpected happens, and fire wreaks havoc on your property, it’s essential to have SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow Counties by your side.
- Understanding the Aftermath: The aftermath of a fire can be overwhelming, both emotionally and physically. SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow Counties explore the immediate challenges homeowners face and provide insights on how to assess the damage.
- Emergency Response: Time is of the essence in the aftermath of a fire. Learn about the importance of a swift and efficient emergency response from SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow Counties, highlighting the initial steps to minimize further damage. Click here for info: https://www.SERVPROpenderwestonslowcounties.com/fire-smoke-damage-restoration
- Assessing the Damage: A detailed assessment is the foundation of any successful restoration project. Discover the key elements involved in assessing fire damage, including structural issues, smoke and soot residue, and water damage from firefighting efforts.
- Restoration Planning: Once the damage is assessed, creating a comprehensive restoration plan is crucial. SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow Counties will guide you through the process of developing a tailored plan that addresses specific issues, timelines, and budget considerations.
- Cleaning and Deodorization: Cleaning up after a fire involves more than just removing visible damage. We will utilize advanced techniques in smoke and soot removal, as well as effective deodorization methods to eliminate lingering smells.
- Structural Repairs and Reconstruction: Repairing structural damage is a significant aspect of fire restoration. Understand the intricacies involved in rebuilding and restoring a property to its pre-fire condition.
- Working with Insurance: Navigating the insurance claim process can be complex. SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow Counties can effectively communicate with insurance providers, documenting damages, and ensuring a fair settlement for your restoration project.
Restoration after a fire is not just about rebuilding structures; it’s about restoring hope and normalcy. SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow Counties can be your partner with a fire cleanup and restoration that will reclaim your space and move forward. Call SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow Counties today. 910-319-0600
SERVPRO Helps All Phases of Jacksonville Fire Damage Cleanup
4/5/2023 (Permalink)
SERVPRO technicians help to make you feel "Like it never even happened." Call us for fire damage restoration in Jacksonville.
The Many Faces of Fire Damage Recovery
Because fires can affect a home in many ways, the damage recovery and cleanup of these emergencies involve several steps and stages. We have skilled professionals capable of helping your home through these restoration phases.
When contending with Jacksonville fire damage, it is crucial for restoration professionals like our SERVPRO team to respond quickly. Experienced FSRT-Certified technicians on our roster are ready to roll out when disasters strike.
Early Emergency Services to Help
Actions taken as soon as our professionals arrive can often be the difference in how long fire damage restoration takes or what structural elements and contents can get preserved. Emergency services precede the full inspection of the property to determine the estimation and restoration plan your insurance company will require to complete objectives like:
- Water Removal
- Controlled Demolition
- Air Filtration
- Fire Debris Removal
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Improvement
The air quality in your home after a fire gets extinguished is not typically safe for house occupants to endure. It is a priority of responding SERVPRO professionals to improve IAQ using a combination of tools and strategies. Debris removal, for example, can reduce concentrations of free-floating soot particulates. Contaminants to the environment overall are met with effective removal equipment like our HEPA 500 air scrubbers, capable of trapping particles as small as 0.3 microns. The result is a less volatile environment for restoration to begin.
Eliminating Soot from a House
Combustion does not always entirely engulf and destroy materials in its path. Partial burning creates carbon particles that stick to surfaces and become a significant obstacle to restoration and recovery. Several practices are necessary for varying levels of exposure:
- Solvents – Wet smoke damage can be a challenging soil deposit to overcome, often leading to a need for solvents that can dissolve these smoke solids to wipe them away.
- Alkaline Cleaners – Basic (non-acidic) cleaning agents neutralize the high pH of corrosive soot particles.
- Abrasives Blasting – Abrasives like baking soda and dry ice are strong enough to dislodge and remove soot buildup on surfaces but soft enough not to cause marring and permanent fire damage to the underlying substrate.
- Material Removal – When other solutions have not been effective or are not feasible, controlled demolition is a suitable solution. Soot removal is most effective when the hosting structural element gets eliminated.
Overcoming Malodors in Various Stages
Strong smells are another unfortunate byproduct of the combustion process, as burning materials and releasing chemicals or aerosols becomes a formidable obstacle for restoration technicians cleaning up after a fire. Malodors require direct action to neutralize or remove; rarely do these smells entirely dissipate. Smoke can become trapped in building materials, allowing for resurgences of offensive smells with changing conditions in the house. We have multiple deodorization methods ranging from fogging to oxidizing.
The Advantage of Skilled Build-Back Services
The combustion of building materials can often lead to a distinct need for repairs and reconstruction following a fire. Fire damage is one of the more challenging conditions for your structural elements, as prolonged exposure can ensure that these materials and unsalvageable. Often, controlled demolition is the suitable approach to help, but this leaves a need for rebuilding when much of the cleaning completes. Our SERVPRO team and our general contractor license can help with the needed build-back services.
Jacksonville fire damage is rapidly moving and overwhelming for the affected properties. As challenging as these situations can be for homeowners to manage, SERVPRO of Pender / West Onslow Counties is here to help you through each step of restoration. Call today at (910) 319-0600.
SERVPRO Provides Thorough Deodorization for Fire Damage in Jacksonville
2/1/2023 (Permalink)
Soot and smoke emit plenty of foul odors. Call SERVPRO to eliminate these offensive smells in your Jacksonville home.
We Focus on "Hidden" Odors caused by Fire Damage
Among all the charred, ugly remnants in your Jacksonville home of what was once your family's belongings are microscopic particles of soot. They come from burning wood, paper, plastic, and many other things inside your home. Part of fire damage restoration involves dealing with soot.
A serious problem caused by soot inside a Jacksonville home with fire damage is that such particles get trapped within cracks, indentations, and enclosed spaces. The continued breaking-down makes soot eventually small enough, light enough, for the gentlest air currents to whisk them into the air. Once there, you and your family notice them as terribly strong and unpleasant odors.
There are different ways that SERVPRO's Odor Control Technicians (OCT) locate and eliminate the soot in such hard-to-reach spots inside a home after a house fire. Here are some of the methods used by our OCTs:
- Cleaning porous materials coated with soot, and
- Trapped soot.
Porous materials include natural wood, drywall, concrete, household textiles (draperies, carpets, etc.), and ceiling tiles. Darker items can naturally hide soot more easily than lighter-colored materials. We can wash and rinse some structural elements on-site or at our facility. The Esporta Washing System, designed with hydraulic pressurized water, does an exceptional job of cleaning fabric—even firefighters’ breakout gear.
When brick, mortar, grout, and wood furnishings show embedded soot particles, we can often remove a significant amount with stiff brushes and specialty cleansing agents. Exterior pressuring washing often does the trick.
Many times, we also opt to finish deodorization with wet fogging. This method uses particles about a dozen microns in size, which bond with soot before it produces unwanted odors
Heated smoke can force its way into nearly-sealed sites within your house. We use a different fogging method that produces a super-fine mist containing pairing agents smaller than a micron. This wet fogging system acts like smoke, which forces the deodorizing agents into areas we otherwise would not be able to treat.
To have your home deodorized to your liking after a house fire, call the experts at SERVPRO of Pender / West Onslow Counties at (910) 319-0600. We're Faster To Any Size Disaster.
SERVPRO Can Perform Fire Restoration in Your Jacksonville House
9/20/2022 (Permalink)
No matter the scope of the fire, smoke and soot damage occur. SERVPRO is your one-stop-shop to make it “Like it never even happened.”
Fire Restoration in Jacksonville is Best Left to Professionals
A fire in your residence can be devastating, and the restoration process might appear overwhelming. The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) states that fire is reported every 24 seconds in the United States, with the direct damages accruing to as much as $23 billion in property damage yearly. After the fire department completes its job, it is the turn of restoration professionals to get your home to its preloss condition.
SERVPRO has brought together a well-trained team of fire restoration professionals to ensure that homeowners encounter no hardships after the incident. We have the latest restoration equipment and products to effectively perform fire restoration in Jacksonville homes. Our technicians are well versed with the S740 Standard set by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC), which contains the guiding principles for a safe and efficient restoration. To restore a property, SERVPRO performs these broad categories of tasks:
- Assessment of the extent of the damage to the property and the contents.
- Taking actions to prevent additional damage.
- Decontaminating the house from soot, smoke, and dust.
- Restoration of the property and the contents to their conditions before the fire.
One of SERVPRO’s most vital restoration services is cleaning up. A few minutes after the fire, smoke may discolor the walls, rust can start forming due to acidic residue, and acid stains can be visible. Appliances are most likely to be stained, and a lot of soot residue may be left behind. We have industrial-grade cleaning solutions to ensure none of these are unsolvable problems.
We also deodorize a property to remove the unpleasant smells and sanitize the house to ensure it is safe for your re-entry. Our SERVPRO restorers can use a photocatalytic oxidizer to deal with the odors. In this device, a photocatalytic lamp shines ultraviolet rays on a titanium dioxide surface and produces hydroxyl radicals. These radicals break down and oxidize bad smells into water and carbon dioxide.
A stitch in time saves nine. Taking time before calling us can worsen the fire damage. Call SERVPRO of Pender / West Onslow Counties at (910) 318-0600 for fast, efficient, and cost-effective restoration services. We’re Faster To Any Size Disaster.
Finding a Fire Damage Restoration Team in Jacksonville is not as Hard as it Seems.
6/10/2022 (Permalink)
Fire damage comes from a multitude of sources and is a year-round threat. SERVPRO is always on call to restore your home.
SERVPRO has the Latest in Equipment and Techniques to Aid Jacksonville Homeowners Facing Fire Damage
Every single homeowner in Jacksonville is vulnerable to fire damage. Some older electrical wiring can pose a threat and open flames, unattended items in the kitchen, and human error. In the winter, space heaters may be of concern, but in the summer, items such as citronella candles, fireworks, and barbecues can also cause a fire in the home. Keeping safety top of our minds, homeowners should also know who to turn to in their time of need.
In Jacksonville, our premier fire damage restoration team, capable of handling all aspects of fire remediation, is ready to come to your site as soon as you contact us. Our fire restoration technicians hold certifications verifying their competency, but our business processes also make us quick to react when you call and efficient in our approach. Our technical knowledge is evident from the minute we arrive and consider the source of ignition, how the fire traveled from room to room, and the characteristics of the residue left behind. Some telling data we collected during our initial assessment include:
- The nature of the materials that caught on fire
- How fire and smoke traveled through the home
- The composition of surfaces where ash and soot settled
In our process, we look at multiple variables to determine the best methods for cleaning, deodorizing, and disinfecting your home. Each job is unique, and our team seeks to meet the needs of our clients individually. SERVPRO of Pender/ West Onslow Counties is here to help. Call us at (910) 319-0600 and let us leave your home “Like it never even happened.”
Reasons Fire Damage Restoration by Pros in Hampstead is Best
3/4/2022 (Permalink)
SERVPRO responds quickly after a fire to help limit the loss and keep secondary damage from taking hold.
SERVPRO Handles Fire Damage Restoration Fast for Hampstead Residents
You may hear that the faster you can address fire and smoke damage within your Hampstead property, the better. But, why? SERVPRO wants all residents and business owners in the area to know why fire mitigation is the most significant way to save money and time. However, we also like to go over why hiring the pros is the wisest option.
Responding quickly after a fire not only limits the loss, but it keeps you from having secondary damage that takes hold. Pungent odors and copious amounts of charred debris are just a few of the areas SERVPRO addresses when called for fire damage restoration in Hampstead. It would help if you never waited to call for professional intervention, nor should you attempt house fire cleanup as a DIY project.
These are some of the reasons it is better to contact skilled fire and smoke restoration technicians (FSRT):
- Expert services and faster response –IICRC-certified SERVPRO technicians know how to navigate all sorts of fire and water emergencies. We offer efficient results in handling soot and smoke damage, charred building materials, reconstruction services, and more.
- Accurate evaluations and meticulous inspections –The initial assessment of your property is critical, as you need to ensure no area gets overlooked. The SERVPRO crew chief looks at all fire and water damage to develop a course of action for mitigation, restoration, and odor control.
- Deep cleaning –Our Green Fleet comes fully stocked with powerful equipment and EPA-registered cleaning agents. We have access to everything we need to restore your property, cleaning all surfaces thoroughly to make it “Like it never even happened.”
When SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow Counties is on call and ready to go 24/7 when you require help with fire damage restoration. Request help online or give us a call at (910) 319-0600.
What to Do with Items During Fire Damage Restoration in Hampstead Homes
2/18/2022 (Permalink)
Fire damages many things, including personal possessions. We have the knowledge to help you with the restore or replace decision.
SERVPRO Considers the Overall Effect Items Have on the Restoration of Your Hampstead Home
It takes different actions to complete fire damage restoration, including cleaning, resurfacing, and removing materials or items from a house based on the extent of the fire. The damages to items in your Hampstead home can be primarily characterized as charring and accumulation of residue deposits. You must decide what to do with the affected materials as you restore your property.
The choice made can influence the course of fire damage restoration at your Hampstead home. For example, choosing to dispose of items can reduce clutter, thus improving restoration speeds. Disposal is not viable in all instances since replacing items is costly. The decision by SERVPRO on item handling depends on the overall restoration goal.
For some items, the decision is straightforward:
- Remove insulation with soot residues
- Remove and dispose of any food in freezers and refrigerators
- Protect metal and chrome materials with a thin oil film
Although the choice of action may seem arbitrary, it is based on specific aspects. For example, the decision to dispose of insulation rather than cleaning it is since it is cheaper. Therefore, disposal is the best approach for any other item in the house whose replacement cost is lower than restoration.
The heat and gases produced by fire affect food items, making them toxic to consumption after an incident. Removing and disposing of all canned food and emptying the fridge helps. Any other object in the house that might pose some danger after the restoration should be removed. HVAC filters fall in this category since they can recirculate residues back into the property affecting the indoor air quality.
Although the fire might not consume some items, they need protection during the restoration process. Soot residues corrode or stain metal and stone surfaces, respectively. Protecting such materials with a thin oil film prevents severe damage that would necessitate replacement.
With assistance from SERVPRO of Pender / West Onslow Counties, you do not have to worry about repairing fire damage. Call us at (910) 319-0600.
What It Takes for Successful Fire and Smoke Cleanup at a Jacksonville Home
2/3/2022 (Permalink)
No matter the fire’s size, professional remediation is almost always a given. You can trust the professionals at SERVPRO to restore your property.
SERVPRO Assists with Physical or Chemical Removal of Fire Residues from Jacksonville Homes
Fire does many things to a building, including consuming materials, depositing residues, and creating strong odors. Cleaning resolves several issues. However, you need to identify and use an appropriate method. With the assistance of a professional like SERVPRO, you can benefit from numerous ways when cleaning your house.
The need for different methods during fire and smoke cleanup in Jacksonville properties is necessary because combustion results in various types of residues, surfaces vary in texture, and materials have other physical properties. That is why SERVPRO technicians start by doing a thorough evaluation. Evaluating smoke damage also reveals what cleaning element to emphasize once restoration begins.
The four fundamental elements of cleaning are:
- Temperature
- Agitation
- Time
- Chemical action
Unique cleaning methods can enhance different cleaning elements, thus altering the outcome. For example, techniques like pressure washing surfaces increase the agitation levels stripping away significant or deeply embedded residues. Soot stains on surfaces such as countertops may be challenging to address through simple physical agitation. Introducing chemical action to the cleaning is necessary. SERVPRO technicians use products agents that dissolve or alter soils in other ways.
Typical ways chemical agents remove soils include:
- Emulsifying oily soils
- Bleaching
- Dissolving into a solvent
Evacuating the soils removed from materials is also essential. If dry cleaning, vacuuming is an effective way to remove loose residues, thus ensuring they do not cause other problems such as lingering odors. When wet cleaning, rinsing involves using plain water. Our SERVPRO technicians also use special rinsing agents such as Fabric Rinse or Color Set to neutralize the effects of potent cleaning agents or stabilize dyes in fabrics.
SERVPRO of Pender / West Onslow Counties manages the challenges of fire and smoke damage, "Like it never even happened." You can reach us at (910) 319-0600 for timely services.
Can Trash Interfere with Restoration of Fire Damage in Jacksonville Homes?
12/22/2021 (Permalink)
Fires leave debris and waste products behind. Debris management is an essential part of the fire damage restoration process.
By Improving Waste Management, SERVPRO Improves Speed and Safety During Fire Restoration
Since fire destroys materials fully or partially, heaps of waste can readily pile up at your home after an incident. It is vital to prioritize the proper debris management to ensure fire damage restoration proceeds as expected.
Trash and other waste materials can interfere with the process of fire damage restoration at your Jacksonville home in many ways, including creating safety hazards and obstructing restoration processes. SERVPRO incorporates trash management in every aspect of the restoration.
Various Steps Help Improve Waste Management at a Fire Loss Site, Including:
- Providing the proper containers
- Labeling unsalvageable materials
- Segmenting work areas at the loss site
The fire restoration process should start with a thorough scope of the loss site. Taking some steps during the evaluation process helps in trash management later. Labeling any materials and contents deemed unsalvageable helps ease such management. Our SERVPRO technicians use tape or stickers to denote all unsalvageable materials quickly, thus better understanding what resources are necessary to remove or store the waste at the loss site.
Organizing wastes, especially after demolition, is essential. The best way to organize trash is to store it in containers. Our SERVPRO teams provide different storage resources, including dumpsters, trash bags, and portable storage units to handle various materials. For instance, fine residues are better contained in zipped trash bags, while more expansive materials such as ceiling or wall panel remnants are better dropped in dumpsters.
Another essential step to ensure waste materials do not interfere with restoration processes is dividing the loss site into different areas. For instance, one section can hold equipment, and another can temporarily store contents. One should also designate a space for holding the waste materials before they are removed from the property for disposal.
With the assistance from SERVPRO of Pender / West Onslow Counties during fire damage restoration, you do not have to worry about inconveniences of handling wastes. Call us at (910) 319-0600. We’re Faster To Any Size Disaster.
Jacksonville Residents Need Professional Fire Damage Restoration Service
11/4/2021 (Permalink)
Smoke and soot continue to damage your home and belongings as they sit. Fast remediation is necessary to minimize the loss.
SERVPRO Helps Jacksonville Property Owners Save Money with Trusted Fire Damage Cleanup and Restoration
The fire damage recovery process can be a long one, but house fire cleanup may not take as long when you call in the help of skilled technicians. While it may seem as though you can save money with a DIY restoration, this is a situation where you can do more harm than good. It is always better to call in a team with proven methods, training, and equipment to restore your Jacksonville home to pre-fire condition.
SERVPRO wants homeowners and property managers to know some of the best ways to prepare for your fire damage restoration project in Jacksonville:
There is a timeline when it comes to smoke damage to your home from a fire:
- Within minutes, soot and smoke residue from the fire cause discoloration on plastics and porous surfaces.
- Within a few hours, discoloration gets deeper with hard-to-remove stains. These stains can sink deep into furniture finish, countertops, and tile grout.
- Within the first couple of days, discoloration settles in on household items, appliances, and walls. Flooring and furniture finish may also become so damaged at this time that they must get replaced rather than restored.
Time is essential when it comes to smoke remediation, which is why SERVPRO is available 24/7 to arrive at your property within hours of your initial call. We send a crew armed with the latest technology to form an assessment and a detailed plan to handle the fire and smoke damage to achieve the best results. There are many phases to our process when restoring fire damaged homes, including:
- Safety assessment
- Planning
- Debris removal and disposal
- Smoke damage cleanup
- Fire and water restoration
- Controlled demolition
- Odor control
SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow Counties is ready to handle your fire damage restoration needs. Reach us around the clock by calling (910) 319-0600. We’re Faster to Any Size Disaster!
What Does a Rebuild Involve During Fire Restoration in Jacksonville homes?
8/8/2021 (Permalink)
Don’t DIY fire damage cleanup. Our techs are trained to safely remove the debris and restore your home.
SERVPRO Handles Cleanup, Debris Removal, and Reconstruction During Fire Restoration
Fire damage can affect every section of a house or room, from the floor to the ceiling. In such cases, fire damage restoration involves tearing down the affected structural materials and replacing them with new ones to restore the property to its preloss state.
The need for fire restoration at your Jacksonville home may arise because of deep soiling by soot and deterioration of materials from the heat and flame action. In some cases, the decision to rebuild may be more appealing because you want to remodel your home or a section of the affected areas. For instance, you may opt to change a regular ceiling in the damaged kitchen or living room with a vaulted one. SERVPRO helps with rebuilding under any of these circumstances.
Our professional fire restoration service covers many other aspects, including:
Rebuilding a home affected by fire starts with the teardown of walls, ceilings, and other areas leaving structural supports. Completing this process without causing additional damages is essential. Our SERVPRO technicians take various precautions to guarantee this. For instance, before we start cutting drywall and ceiling panels, we use stud finders to establish and mark structural support points. When using power tools for cutting, we ensure the depth of the saw blade does not penetrate beyond the drywall.
Various cutting tools help with removal, including:
- Rotary saws
- Reciprocating saws
- Keyhole saws
- Razor knives
Our SERVPRO technicians also take the initiative to clear any soiling or layers of charring on the frames before fixing new insulation and panels.
SERVPRO of Pender / West Onslow Counties has the resources to rebuild your property as part of fire restoration addressing any issue, “Like it never even happened.” Call us at (910) 319-0600.
Need Fire Damage Restoration in Jacksonville? Call SERVPRO
5/6/2021 (Permalink)
Small fires can cause smoke and soot to travel throughout your home. SERVPRO has the tools to completely restore your fire damage.
Why is SERVPRO the First Choice of Jacksonville Residents for Fire Damage Restoration?
Located on the New River banks, Jacksonville is known for Camp Lejeune, a US marine corps training facility and a Navy base. The military established the camp in 1941, and the city's population exploded since then. Before founding the post, Jacksonville had had only 800 residents; by 2019, the number increased to over 70,000. The town also holds a record for being the youngest city in the country, partly due to a significant military presence.
The vicinity to the coast and Croatan National forest makes Jacksonville a perfect vacation spot for tourists from across the country. The sapphire waters of the New River are a sight to behold while you are in the city. Picturesque Atlantic beaches are just a drive away, where you can bask in the sun and relax. Some of the best beaches to check out while you are in Jacksonville are:
- Hammocks beach state part- Located near Crystal Coast, the park covers a vast area of about 1600 acres. One of the most fun activities to do while in the park is kayak to the nearby Bear Island, about 4 miles from the shore. It consists of an extensive dune system. You can camp here, but most of the island is still undisturbed and wild.
- Topsail Island Beaches- The gorgeous barrier beaches of the island are perfect for hiking during the sunset or sunrise. Topsail Island is a sea turtle sanctuary. According to folklore, pirate ships sailed the seas in this area during ancient times, and the infamous pirate Blackbeard hid his treasure on the Topsail island.
- Wrightsville Beach- Another pristine beach near Jacksonville, there are a ton of things to do here. From paddle-boarding to kayaking, there are a ton of activities for both adults and children alike on this beach.
- Onslow Beach- Located between Intercoastal Waterway and the Atlantic, the beach is open to all authorized Department of Defense ID cardholders.
Jacksonville Residents Trusts SERVPRO with House Fire Cleanup of Their Property
Witnessing fire and smoke damage at your Jacksonville home can be overwhelming. Looking at all the damage, you might find it difficult to determine how and where the restoration process begins. The first thing to do in such a situation is to call in the experts. SERVPRO's certified technicians can help you round the clock to manage the situation and minimize the loss.
Cleaning residue during a fire and smoke restoration and cleanup is a difficult task. Different types of residues require different approaches. The most common types of residue left after the fire and smoke damage fits into one of the following three categories:
- Dry smoke residue is often the easiest to clean and is formed by burning natural substances such as wood.
- Wet smoke residue- Difficult to clean and is formed by burning synthetic material, including plastics and polymers.
- Protein smoke residue- Formed due to the burning of proteins such as meat and fish. It is challenging to clean and requires deodorization as well.
SERVPRO techs apply a different approach for each of these residues to return your Jacksonville home to "Like it never even happened." Call SERVPRO of Pender / West Onslow Counties at (910) 319-0600. We are here 24/7 to serve you.
Lighting Facts
3/11/2021 (Permalink)
Lightning around north topsail beach
Lightning is one of the leading causes of weather-related fatalities. Though the odds of being struck by lightning in a given year are only around 1 in 500,000, some factors can put you at greater risk for being struck.
Here are a few lightning safety tips:
- Be aware. Check the forecast before participating in outdoor activities. If it calls for thunderstorms, postpone your trip or activity, or make sure adequate safe shelter is available.
- Go indoors. Remember the phrase, “When thunder roars, go indoors.” Find a safe enclosed shelter when you hear thunder. Safe shelters include homes, offices, shopping centers, and hard-top vehicles with the windows rolled up.
- Avoid windows, doors, porches and concrete. Do not lie on concrete floors and avoid leaning on concrete walls. Lighting can travel through any metal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring.
- Avoid water. Do not bathe, shower, wash dishes, or have any other contact with water during a thunderstorm because lightning can travel through a building’s plumbing.
Fire Damage Emergency Tips
2/1/2021 (Permalink)
Call SERVPRO of Pender/West Onslow for all your fire damage questions
Fire Damage Emergency Tips
After any fire damage situation, your primary focus should be safety first:
Is it safe to stay in the house? Electrical and slip and fall hazards are some of the most prevalent concerns. Only do activities that are safe for you to perform. Wet materials can be VERY heavy. Be careful!
What To Do After A Fire
Limit movement in the home to prevent soot particles from being embedded into upholstery and carpet. Keep hands clean so as not to further soil upholstery, walls, and woodwork. Place clean towels or old linens on rugs, upholstery and carpet traffic area. If electricity is off, empty freezer and refrigerator and prop doors open. Clean and protect chrome with light coating of petroleum jelly or oil. Wash houseplants on both sides of leaves. Change HVAC filter. Tape double layers of cheesecloth over air registers. Contact your insurance company to file a claim.
What NOT To Do After A Fire
Do not attempt to wash any walls or painted surfaces or shampoo carpet or upholstery without contacting us. Do not attempt to clean any electrical appliances that may have been close to fire, heat, or water without consulting an authorized repair service. Do not use any canned or packaged food or beverages that may have been stored near the fire, heat, or water. Do not turn on ceiling fixture if ceiling is wet. The wiring may be damaged. Do not send garments to an ordinary dry cleaner. Improper cleaning may set smoke odor.
Grease Fire
7/24/2019 (Permalink)
Grease fire DO's and DON'T'S are essential!
There you are, cooking up an amazing dinner. You've got your sweetheart coming over and you are singing along to that amazing Adele song, belting out the emotion and you look over and see.... FLAMES?! That was not what you planned. What now?!!?
At any point during the cooking process, a grease fire can occur. These fires can quickly become devastating and potentially fatal.
A fire only requires THREE components to burn: oxygen, heat, and fuel. The safest and smartest way to kill a grease fire is by removing one of the components. Oxygen will be the fastest to remove because it takes time for the electric burner to cool down and it’s not safe to remove the fuel (grease).
Here are the CORRECT steps to kill a grease fire:
- Turn off the electricity supply to the stove top.
- Eliminate the oxygen supply.
- Put on kitchen mitts so you don’t burn yourself
- Grab the lid that fits the pot/pan and slide it across the top of the pot/pan
Or
- If you do not have a lid, you can use a cookie sheet and repeat the step above
- Call the fire department.
- Call SERVPRO and we can come clean your mess up and make it look “Like it never even happened”.
Alternative methods:
- Fire extinguisher
- Pour a large amount of baking soda on the flames
- Use a soaking wet cloth, and carefully drape the cloth over the pot/pan
Here is what NOT to do:
- Use water to put out the flames.
- Water is heavier than oil; therefore the water will sink to the bottom. This causes the water to rapidly heat up, and an explosion to occur.
- Swat the flames with a cloth
- Throw flour on the flames (flour is combustible)
- Move the pot/pan (not even to another stove burner)
If the heat gets to be unbearable--get out of the kitchen and call 911.
24/7 Emergency Service