- Contact a professional cleaner who specializes in fire/water damage restoration
- Secure your property by boarding broken windows and doors
- If possible take pictures of the fire area to photo document the damage to the building and contents
- After photo documenting the area, eliminate all access to the fire area until the fire department and your insurance company have done their investigation.
- Limit access to the entire building to prevent further damage.
- Place towels or sheets on carpet traffic areas and soft furniture to prevent soiling from worsening.
- Place cardboard on tile flooring to limit additional soiling on tile surface and grout.
- If the electricity is off empty your refrigerator and freezer.
- If the electricity is still on, turn off your HVAC system to limit the spread of soot & smoke. If you need to maintain heat to keep the building from freezing, change the filters frequently.
- If water from the fire fighting is coming through ceiling electrical outlets/fixtures, isolate those circuits by turning off the electricity at the breaker panel.
- Do not use foods that were open prior to the fire and canned goods exposed to heat.
- Do not attempt cleaning painted or porous surfaces before you talk to a professional cleaner.
- Do not clean electrical appliances.
- Do not attempt to clean personal property before seeking advice from a professional cleaner.
