Before

After

Restoring This Seminole Home After an Electrical Fire

The uncertainties of fire damage can leave families struggling to make their properties feel like home again. In this Seminole home depicted in the photographs, an electrical fire rapidly swept through several house rooms, including the attic space. The ignition impacted structural elements below and beneath this catalyst with electrical wiring installed within the ceiling system. High-heat disaster likes can overwhelm exposed materials, causing them to weaken and collapse if not fully combusted.

In the Before Photo, you can see the situation that our SERVPRO of Seminole & Central Gulf Beaches team came upon when we responded to the call. The burning caused portions of the ceiling to collapse in the living areas of the Seminole residence. Immediately, our professionals recognized that additional structural weaknesses existed, and a thorough evaluation of the property was necessary to identify and ultimately remove these threats. Keeping technicians and occupants safe during the restoration process is a chief priority for our crew.

A further controlled demolition would be necessary to overcome structural weaknesses and the potential for collapse. Clearing out bulk materials and loose debris also showed where additional cleaning and fire restoration efforts would be required. As you can see in the Before Photo, all of the hanging materials required removal. The work area extended beyond the uneven edges to create a concise and clean line for the reinstallation of elements like drywall. The floor system for the attic level experienced considerable smoke damage and soiling, making it vital for our SERVPRO of Seminole & Central Gulf Beaches team to implement advanced cleaning measures.

To achieve the look of the After Photo, specific cleaning practices were necessary. With black soot covering supports and joists for the attic floor, direct and deliberate cleaning efforts would be needed to preserve the underlying material. Prolonged exposure in these situations can lead to the deterioration of wood structural elements, as many smoke residues have an acidic composition. Our technicians were working in this Seminole house utilized dry ice pellet blasting technologies to remove surface soot soiling without eroding or etching the underlying substrate.

With the installed materials cleaned and protected from secondary effects like mold growth, build back, and deodorization began around the same time. Reinstalling ceiling drywall and other structural elements would be instrumental in returning the property to its original appearance. Still, deodorization practices would ultimately allow for a comfortable living when the family returned. Overcoming harsh odors can involve many steps and stages, beginning as early as the controlled demolition stage. This process began by including HEPA air filters during the demolition phase. The bulk of odor removal relies on several tools in our inventory, including:

• Thermal foggers
• Hydroxyl generators
• Ozone machines

Even with a rapidly spreading fire loss event, our SERVPRO team made it “Like it never even happened.”