When we begin cleaning homes after a fire, we typically begin by removing as much soot and particulate as we can by sponging walls, ceilings and contents with a dry chem sponge. In this photo, you can see someone with our fire crew using a pole to sponge the ceiling around the attic entrance.

While restoring homes that suffered fire damage, sometimes the concern isn't what you can see but what you can smell. In this case, the homeowners were dealing with a very strong burnt smell in the entire home, although the fire damage was limited to a small portion of the house. Our crews have several different methods of deodorization, in addition to cleaning and restoration, so we were able to make the damage and the smell "Like it never even happened".

At SERVPRO of Thomaston, Forsyth and Fort Valley, we prioritize restoration versus replacement of any fire-damaged belongings. After a fire, a Project Manager will usually walk through the property with the customer or an insurance adjuster to look at the damage and make a recommendation on what can be cleaned or what needs replacing. Everything you can see in this photo ended up being replaced, but the structure and contents in other areas of the same kitchen were able to be cleaned.

This stove fire left scorch marks on the upper cabinets and ceiling, which you can see in this photo, but this home required a lot more cleaning than simply the areas you can see. Our crew had to clean the inside and outside of all the cabinets in this kitchen, the popcorn ceiling and any contents in the cabinets (like canned goods) that could be salvaged.

In this photo, you can see where the smoke gathered close to the ceiling, leaving differently shaded areas where the soot coated the wall thicker than others. We typically sponge walls to remove as much soot and odor as possible- a method we call "prep to paint".

This is what the cooking area of the kitchen looked like before our crews began work with demolition and cleaning. This fire spread smoke and soot throughout the entire two story home, requiring several days of intense cleaning.