Fire Hose Water Damage Cleanup in Lehi, UT

Fire Hose Water Damage Cleanup for Lehi Homes

When a fire is put out, the damage does not stop at the burned room. Firefighters use large volumes of water to knock down flames and cool hot spots, and that water goes everywhere: through floors, into ceilings and down into the basement. In many house fires, more rooms are damaged by water than by flames. That water has to be removed quickly, even while everyone is still dealing with the shock of the fire.

Fire hose water is not clean. It mixes with soot, ash, burned materials and debris as it runs through the house, so it is handled as contaminated water. It soaks ceiling drywall and insulation, which can get heavy enough to sag or fall. It fills carpet, wicks into walls and pools in basements. If it sits, the mix of water and soot stains surfaces and leaves odors that are hard to remove later.

A restoration crew begins only after the building is released as safe to enter. They secure the property, pump and extract the water and pull out insulation, drywall and flooring that are too contaminated to keep. Soot is cleaned off surfaces while they are still damp, because it becomes harder to remove once dried in. Then the structure is dried with air movers and dehumidifiers.

Lehi winters add a twist. Water from a winter fire can freeze in the house and around the outside once heat is gone, adding more damage. In homes with finished basements, water from a fire upstairs often ends up below grade, soaking rooms the flames never touched.