Fire Remediation: Where Did All the Water Come From?

1/4/2022 (Permalink)

Fire Remediation

It is odd to consider water cleanup in association with fire remediation, but it is a common pairing. After experiencing a business fire, it can be hard enough dealing with the charred remains of your property, but to also find water damage in areas that weren’t touched by the flames is frustrating and confusing. The fact is, firefighters, take many precautions to ensure the safety of others.

1. Putting Out the Blaze

Depending on the size of the fire, firefighters may have multiple hoses aimed at your property within minutes of arrival. These hoses operate at 400 psi and douse the flames in gallons of water per second. Additionally, firefighters will break out windows surrounding the blaze to hit the fire from above and below, causing massive amounts of flooding within your building.

2. Limiting the Damage

In an effort to limit the damage of a fire, firefighters will attempt to contain the fire to the initial area. However, this means that they will likely break through windows and doors of other rooms, flooding these areas with water to prevent the fire from spreading throughout the building but simultaneously expanding the water cleanup in its aftermath.

3. Restricting the Spread

Beyond dousing unaffected rooms, firefighters will soak the exterior of your property to limit the possibility of the fire jumping to surrounding buildings. This means your entire property is being doused, but it is a good thing. The water protects you, your property and your neighbors.

4. Walking Through the Facility

Once the fire is out, emergency services will walk your property looking for embers, using fire extinguishers on any remaining sources of heat. Between the hoses and the extinguishers, the fire cleanup is a massive undertaking requiring the assistance of a disaster restoration specialist in the South Boston, MA, area. These professionals are also experts in smoke cleanup.

While not often considered, water cleanup after a fire can be extensive. The fire hoses alone will contribute to a significant amount of water buildup, but when coupled with extinguishes and other suppression systems, it is likely necessary to hire a remediation specialist.