What to Do in Case of a Kitchen Fire
What to Do in Case of a Kitchen Fire- Bonita Springs, FL
Most people in most households move in and out of the kitchen throughout the day, whether they are preparing a meal or simply snacking. One of the busiest rooms in the house, the kitchen is also where families gather for meals and to entertain guests. Unfortunately, this is also the location of the majority of house fires. Cooking is a common cause of house fires, and cooking fires can cause extensive damage to your kitchen. To prevent kitchen fires, you should always take the necessary precautions, and your top priority should always be to protect yourself and your family. After putting out a kitchen fire, use the methods listed below to clean up the mess. Contact a fire damage repairs professional if the damage is too severe for you to clean up.
Safety Precautions
Before re-entering your kitchen, you must take every possible safety precaution. Unexpected damage to the electrical system or gas lines could have disastrous consequences. After the fire department has extinguished the fire, an inspector will assess the situation for safety hazards and notify you when it is safe to enter. When entering the kitchen, wear a mask, gloves, pants, boots, and long sleeves to protect yourself.
Document the Damage
Take pictures of the damage before you begin cleaning when it is safe to enter your kitchen. Take as many pictures of the damage as you can and make a list of the items that have been damaged for your insurance claim. As soon as possible, file a claim with your insurance company so that an agent can provide an estimate. Do not start cleaning your kitchen until an insurance adjuster arrives to assess the damage and informs you that fire damage cleanup can begin.
Cleaning the Fire Damage
Hiring a professional to clean up the fire damage using powerful cleaning solutions and advanced techniques is usually a better option. While you wait for the fire damage restoration professionals to arrive, you can clean up some of the damage yourself. To clean up the aftermath of a kitchen fire safely and effectively, follow these guidelines:
- Wear safety equipment such as goggles, masks, boots, long pants, and long sleeves.
- Eat or drink nothing in the affected area.
- Open your windows to let the smoke and scents out.
- Remove anything useful or salvageable from your kitchen.
- Get rid of any debris or things that cannot be salvaged.
- To clean the interior of drawers and kitchen cabinets, remove them.
- Wipe stainless steel and metallic surfaces clean.
- To clean plastic and painted surfaces, use an alkaline (soap-free) detergent.
- Replace the air filter in your furnace and exhaust fan.
When to Call a Fire Damage Restoration Professional
The extent of the damage will determine whether you can clean up your kitchen properly on your own or whether you need to call a professional for fire damage repair. A fire can cause massive destruction and is rarely contained in a single location. The fire could have caused hidden structural damage, and corrosive byproducts of the fire, such as smoke and soot, could have spread and caused additional damage. Because smoke and soot corrode and etch affected surfaces and materials, professional cleanings. Because soot particles are harmful to your health, we strongly advise you to wear a mask at all times while in the fire-damaged area.
Even if you can clean up some of the damage caused by a kitchen fire, you should still contact a fire damage restoration specialist. These experts will calculate the total cost of the damage, which will include structural damage and the spread of smoke and soot. Professionals trained in fire cleanup are equipped to stabilize and repair structural damage, and they use specialized cleaning solutions to recover smoke and soot-damaged materials. They can also eliminate lingering cigarette odors.
If you hire Restoration 1 of Southwest Florida to clean up the fire damage, you can be confident that we will have the necessary equipment and cleaning products to effectively clean and restore the damage to your property.
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