Acting Swiftly After a Fire: Understanding the Importance of Immediate Action and How SERVPRO of Galveston Island/Lake Jackson Can Aid in Restoration

4/25/2024 (Permalink)

Experiencing a fire in your home can be a traumatic event, leaving you overwhelmed and unsure of what to do next. However, taking immediate action is crucial in mitigating further damage and restoring your property. SERVPRO of Galveston Island/Lake Jackson, a trusted fire restoration company, understands the urgency of the situation and can provide professional assistance in the aftermath of a fire. In this article, we will explore the importance of acting swiftly after a fire and how SERVPRO of Galveston Island/Lake Jackson can aid in the restoration process.

Ensuring Safety:

Immediately after a fire, it's essential to prioritize the safety of yourself and your family. Evacuate the premises, call emergency services, and wait for the all-clear to reenter. SERVPRO of Galveston Island/Lake Jackson can help ensure a safe environment by conducting a thorough assessment of the property, identifying potential hazards, and implementing safety measures during the restoration process.

Mitigating Secondary Damage:

The aftermath of a fire presents additional risks such as water damage from firefighting efforts and the potential for mold growth. SERVPRO of Galveston Island/Lake Jackson can swiftly respond to mitigate further damage by providing water extraction, drying, and mold remediation services, helping prevent additional complications.

Securing and Protecting Your Property:

Fires can leave your property vulnerable to theft and vandalism. SERVPRO of Galveston Island/Lake Jackson can provide board-up and tarping services to secure your property, preventing unauthorized access and protecting it from the elements while restoration takes place.

Assessing Damage and Developing a Restoration Plan:

SERVPRO of Galveston Island/Lake Jackson has the expertise to conduct a comprehensive assessment of fire damage, including structural integrity, smoke and soot residue, and air quality. Based on their assessment, they can develop a tailored restoration plan to address the specific needs of your property.

Professional Cleaning and Restoration:

SERVPRO of Galveston Island/Lake Jackson utilizes advanced equipment and techniques to thoroughly clean and restore your property. From removing smoke odor to restoring damaged belongings, their experienced technicians can efficiently restore your home to its pre-fire condition.

Streamlining Insurance Claims:

Navigating insurance claims can be overwhelming. SERVPRO of Galveston Island/Lake Jackson can assist you in documenting the damage, providing detailed reports, and working closely with your insurance company to ensure a smooth and efficient claims process.

Taking immediate action after a fire is crucial for minimizing further damage and expediting the restoration process. SERVPRO of Galveston Island/Lake Jackson understands the urgency and can provide professional assistance in securing your property, mitigating secondary damage, assessing the extent of the fire damage, and executing a comprehensive restoration plan. By entrusting your fire restoration needs to SERVPRO of Galveston Island/Lake Jackson, you can have peace of mind knowing that experienced professionals are working diligently to restore your home and support you throughout the process.

Grill Cleaning and Maintenance Can Prevent a Grease Fire

8/11/2022 (Permalink)

Grill Cleaning and Maintenance

Residents of Galveston, TX, are looking forward to cooking on a grill again. However, summer fun can end quickly if a grease fire damages your home. Frequent grill cleaning can prevent costly fire damage.

Cleaning Supplies
Have these cleaning supplies available when preparing to clean your charcoal or gas grill for the summer:

Scouring pad
Grill brush with scraper
Dish soap

Grill Maintenance and Deep Grill Cleaning
It is important to deep clean your grill and check for signs of needed maintenance at the beginning of summer. Remove any old ashes from your charcoal grill and scrape the grates with a grill brush and hot soapy water. Rinse with hot water before cooking.
If you have a gas grill, it is important to check for grease under the firebox. Empty the grease collection tray and clean it with hot soapy water. Check the burner hoods for any dirt or grease, making sure the burner ports are clear so flames can pass through.
Repeat the deep cleaning process at the end of summer and store your grill in a dry place or under a weatherproof cover. Additionally, don't forget to remove the ignition battery from your gas grill so it doesn't corrode.

Fire Damage Protection
Make sure you clean your grill thoroughly every time you use it. Scrape any burnt food off the grates before and after cooking and scoop out old ashes from your charcoal grill. If you have a gas grill, empty the grease pan under the firebox and remove any built-up grease, food or ashes from the firebox and burner hoods.
Fires can happen even if you are diligent about grill cleaning. If a fire damages your house, enlist fire restoration specialists from Galveston Island/Lake Jackson, to coordinate the fire cleanup. Routine cleaning and maintenance will help prevent fire damage, so you can relax and enjoy your favorite summer foods without fear.

How To Secure Your Building After a Fire

8/11/2022 (Permalink)

How to Protect Your Property After a Fire

The amount of damage your building in Galveston, TX, sustains after a fire depends on many factors, including how quickly firefighters put out the fire and how many areas of the structure were involved. Even if your building has extensive fire damage, though, you still need to protect what is left from further problems. There are a couple of things that fire restoration experts do to keep your building secure during cleanup.

Roof Tarping During Fire Cleanup
One of the first things technicians are likely to do when they arrive is cover up any vulnerable spots on your roof. Tarping your roof at the beginning of the cleanup process has several benefits:

Keeps water and debris from further damaging your roof
Protects the interior of your building
Helps prevent mold from growing by minimizing damp areas

Another reason to tarp your roof is to ensure that your provider covers the fire damage restoration costs. You can't always prevent a fire. If, however, your building sustains secondary damage due to negligence while it's being repaired, your insurance company may reject your claim, and then you'll be stuck with the bill.

Board-up Services For Damaged Buildings
You'd be surprised how many people try to take advantage of a compromised structure. The restoration team can board up windows, doorways and other spots that the fire left open. This process discourages looting and vandalism. It also keeps animals out and prevents them from nesting in the building.
It's important to let the professionals handle building security. They understand the safety precautions they need to take to arrange tarps and board and secure them in place. The technicians are also less likely to damage the building further than a layperson would be.
Board-up services and roof tarping are crucial parts of the fire damage restoration process. Avoid further issues by making sure your building is protected.

Home Fire Statistics from SERVPRO of Galveston Island / Lake Jackson

8/9/2022 (Permalink)

House fires affect more than 374,000 homes each year and smoking is the leading cause of fire related death. House fires are devastating and they cause more than 7 billion dollars in damage in the United States each year.

It is important to know ways that you can reduce your family's risk of experiencing a house fire. Below is a list of a few things you can do:

Do NOT smoke in bed or anywhere in your home for that matter. People lay down while smoking a cigarette and fall asleep causing more fire related deaths than any other cause worldwide.

Unplug appliances that are not in use. Certain appliances have auto on features that keep them on all the time so you can turn them on right away. These appliances can catch fire when left plugged in.

Keep clothing and debris off power strips. Make sure your children do not leave clothes on power strips as the clothing can catch on fire.

Unplug irons and flatirons for straightening your hair. When you leave the bathroom unplug your flat iron. Do not walk away to do something else before unplugging it, because you could forget.

Iron and use your flatiron on a flat surface. Do not leave irons or flatirons on soft surfaces that may catch on fire.

Keep portable heaters away from all cloth and clothing. Make sure they are on a flat stable surface and cannot tip or be knocked over by children. Heating elements are the second leading cause of house fires.

Do not walk away from food while cooking even for a brief period of time. Make sure that you turn pot handles so that children cannot grab them dumping scalding contents which can burn them or start a fire.

Use baking soda to extinguish grease fires as water will make them spread.

Keep batteries in your smoke detectors and test them frequently.

Make a fire escape plan with your family, especially if children are on a different floor.

Call 9-1-1 if your home catches on fire!!!

Knowing these tips will help keep you and your family safe. If you do experience a house fire call SERVPRO of Galveston Island / Lake Jackson at 409-762-4411. We are fire restoration specialists.

Smoke and Soot Cleanup

8/9/2022 (Permalink)

Smoke and soot are very invasive and can penetrate various cavities within your home, causing hidden damage and odor. Our smoke damage expertise and experience allow us to inspect and accurately assess the extent of the damage to develop a comprehensive plan of action.

Smoke and soot facts:

Hot smoke migrates to cooler areas and upper levels of a structure.

Smoke flows around plumbing systems, seeping through the holes used by pipes to go from floor to floor.

The type of smoke may greatly affect the restoration process.

Different Types of Smoke

There are two different types of smoke–wet and dry. As a result, there are different types of soot residue after a fire. Before restoration begins, SERVPRO of Galveston Island / Lake Jackson will test the soot to determine which type of smoke damage occurred. The cleaning procedures will then be based on the information identified during pretesting. Here is some additional information:

Wet Smoke – Plastic and Rubber

Low heat, smoldering, pungent odor, sticky, smeary. Smoke webs are more difficult to clean.

Dry Smoke – Paper and Wood

Fast burning, high temperatures, heat rises therefore smoke rises.

Protein Fire Residue – Produced by evaporation of material rather than from a fire

Virtually invisible, discolors paints and varnishes, extreme pungent odor.

Our Fire Damage Restoration Services

Since each smoke and fire damage situation is a little different, each one requires a unique solution tailored for the specific conditions. We have the equipment, expertise, and experience to restore your fire and smoke damage. We will also treat your family with empathy and respect and your property with care.

Have Questions about Fire, Smoke, or Soot Damage?
Call Us Today – 409-762-4411

SERVPRO Customer on Experiencing a House Fire

8/9/2022 (Permalink)

A homeowner and SERVPRO customer received a call no one wants to receive from neighbors telling her that her home was on fire. The family had just left to get something to eat when they received the call. The neighbors in her tight knit community called the fire department before contacting her, but the fire moved fast and a significant amount of damage was done in the short time it took for the fire department to arrive.

Returning home, they were devastated to find their home completely burned and that they had lost nearly all of their possessions. In the moments after the fire the family learned that the fire also took their family pets and they were devastated.

During this difficult time the last thing the family wanted to do was have to clean the damage from the blaze. Having a company like SERVPRO to handle this for them allowed them to process the tragedy away from the home. It took months for the family home to be rebuilt and for them to cope with the loss of their beloved pets, but slowly life returned to normal for them.

They now live happily in their rebuilt home and the homeowner shared that she tried to find the positive in the situation as that was the best way for them to cope with the fire.

While rebuilding the family was able to add two additional rooms to their family home, giving each of their children their own room. This is something that helped the family as they tried to get back to life before the fire. The homeowner says anyone experiencing a fire should try to stay positive and that it might take a while, but that life will return to normal.

Fire Damage Cleanup

8/9/2022 (Permalink)

Electrical Fire Damage

Smoke and soot are very invasive and can penetrate various cavities within your home, causing hidden damage and odor. Our smoke damage expertise and experience allow us to inspect and accurately assess the extent of the damage to develop a comprehensive plan of action.

Smoke and soot facts:

Hot smoke migrates to cooler areas and upper levels of a structure.
Smoke flows around plumbing systems, seeping through the holes used by pipes to go from floor to floor.
The type of smoke may greatly affect the restoration process.

Different Types of Smoke

There are two different types of smoke–wet and dry. As a result, there are different types of soot residue after a fire. Before restoration begins, SERVPRO of Galveston Island/Lake Jackson will test the soot to determine which type of smoke damage occurred. The cleaning procedures will then be based on the information identified during pretesting. Here is some additional information:

Wet Smoke – Plastic and Rubber

Low heat, smoldering, pungent odor, sticky, smeary. Smoke webs are more difficult to clean.

Dry Smoke – Paper and Wood

Fast burning, high temperatures, heat rises therefore smoke rises.

Protein Fire Residue – Produced by evaporation of material rather than from a fire

Virtually invisible, discolors paints and varnishes, extreme pungent odor.

Our Fire Damage Restoration Services

Since each smoke and fire damage situation is a little different, each one requires a unique solution tailored for the specific conditions. We have the equipment, expertise, and experience to restore your fire and smoke damage. We will also treat your family with empathy and respect and your property with care.

Have Questions about Fire, Smoke, or Soot Damage?
Call Us Today – 409-762-4411

Different Types of Damage You Could Experience with a Fire

6/24/2021 (Permalink)

Fire Damage

Fire damage is caused by the actual fire. This can include damage to the structure of the property. Often materials are melted and can ignite other materials with this type of damage.

Fire damage can also cause different toxins to react causing explosions or they can act as accelerant spreading the flames and causing additional damage.

Water Damage

Water damage is always present with fire damage because the flames have to be extinguished. Often the damage caused by the sprinklers in a building is much more significant than the initial fire damage.

Smoke Damage

Soot from a fire can be found in every room of a house that has been badly burned, even those rooms that were not burnt. Often homeowner's belongings, furniture, clothes in drawers, important documents, paintings, and more are completely covered in charcoal black soot. Some items are not salvageable and the items that are have to be properly cleaned or the soot can permanently destroy them.

Mold Damage

After experiencing a house fire, the water damage has to be professionally handled, because when it is not properly dried mold can grow. Mold is a toxin that can cause numerous potential health effects for those living in the property. It is important to make sure the water damage is taken care of by professionals like those at SERVPRO of Galveston Island / Lake Jackson.

Fire Damage Cleanup

6/24/2021 (Permalink)

Electrical Fire Damage

Smoke and soot are very invasive and can penetrate various cavities within your home, causing hidden damage and odor. Our smoke damage expertise and experience allow us to inspect and accurately assess the extent of the damage to develop a comprehensive plan of action.

Smoke and soot facts:

Hot smoke migrates to cooler areas and upper levels of a structure.
Smoke flows around plumbing systems, seeping through the holes used by pipes to go from floor to floor.
The type of smoke may greatly affect the restoration process.

Different Types of Smoke

There are two different types of smoke–wet and dry. As a result, there are different types of soot residue after a fire. Before restoration begins, SERVPRO of Galveston Island/Lake Jackson will test the soot to determine which type of smoke damage occurred. The cleaning procedures will then be based on the information identified during pretesting. Here is some additional information:

Wet Smoke – Plastic and Rubber

Low heat, smoldering, pungent odor, sticky, smeary. Smoke webs are more difficult to clean.

Dry Smoke – Paper and Wood

Fast burning, high temperatures, heat rises therefore smoke rises.

Protein Fire Residue – Produced by evaporation of material rather than from a fire

Virtually invisible, discolors paints and varnishes, extreme pungent odor.

Our Fire Damage Restoration Services

Since each smoke and fire damage situation is a little different, each one requires a unique solution tailored for the specific conditions. We have the equipment, expertise, and experience to restore your fire and smoke damage. We will also treat your family with empathy and respect and your property with care.

Have Questions about Fire, Smoke, or Soot Damage?
Call Us Today – 409-762-4411

SERVPRO Customer on Experiencing a House Fire

6/23/2021 (Permalink)

A homeowner and SERVPRO customer received a call no one wants to receive from neighbors telling her that her home was on fire. The family had just left to get something to eat when they received the call. The neighbors in her tight knit community called the fire department before contacting her, but the fire moved fast and a significant amount of damage was done in the short time it took for the fire department to arrive.

Returning home, they were devastated to find their home completely burned and that they had lost nearly all of their possessions. In the moments after the fire the family learned that the fire also took their family pets and they were devastated.

During this difficult time the last thing the family wanted to do was have to clean the damage from the blaze. Having a company like SERVPRO to handle this for them allowed them to process the tragedy away from the home. It took months for the family home to be rebuilt and for them to cope with the loss of their beloved pets, but slowly life returned to normal for them.

They now live happily in their rebuilt home and the homeowner shared that she tried to find the positive in the situation as that was the best way for them to cope with the fire.

While rebuilding the family was able to add two additional rooms to their family home, giving each of their children their own room. This is something that helped the family as they tried to get back to life before the fire. The homeowner says anyone experiencing a fire should try to stay positive and that it might take a while, but that life will return to normal.

6 Common Types of Fire Damage to Homes

6/23/2021 (Permalink)

Class A Fire Damage: Fire damage from a Class A fire is the result of a fire involving flammable solids, including, various plastics, paper, rubber, wood, and cloth.
Class B Fire Damage: Class B fire damage consists of damage as a result of flammable liquids or solids that can become liquefied. This includes gasoline and various forms of petrol, oil, various waxes and plastics, and paint. However, fires caused by cooking oils and fats don’t count as Class B.
Class C Fire Damage: A Class C fire damage is one involving flammable gasses, including hydrogen, propane, butane, and natural gas.
Class D Fire Damage: Class D fire damage consists of fires caused by combustible metals. This may include magnesium, potassium, and sodium.
Class E Fire Damage: Class E is fire damage that results from the factors in both Class A and Class B. The difference being, Class involves the introduction of electrical elements, which makes fighting the fire and the resulting damage very different from Class A and Class B.
Class F Fire Damage: Class F is a fire that results from cooking oils and fats. This type of fire differs from Class B because these fires are significantly hotter and the damage more severe.

Call SERVPRO of Galveston Island / Lake Jackson Immediately at 409-762-4411

Smoke and Soot Cleanup

6/22/2021 (Permalink)