September 17, 2010

When your home, or even office, is fire damaged the situation can be most stressful. But the insurance company will normally cover the costs of a specialist restoration company for fire damaged property which will relieve much of the pressure on the homeowner.

Fire residues are considered dangerous enough to be covered by government regulations known as Control of Substances Hazardous to Health. This means that fire damaged buildings should be treated in accordance with these safety regulations and that professional companies are best placed to deal with the restoration.

As well as the visible damage, there will be toxic chemicals present in the fire damaged property. The chemicals stick to walls and other surfaces and are later released over days and weeks to be inhaled by anyone around. Whilst this is harmful to anyone it is especially dangerous for people with asthma. These toxic chemicals must be eliminated before a building can be deemed habitable again. This can easily be achieved by companies which specialise in restoring fire damaged property.

Another possible risk is asbestos which has been fire damaged. When a building is fire damaged, tiny asbestos fibres can be released from otherwise safe materials. People who inhale these fibres can develop potentially life threatening respiratory illnesses. The fire damage restoration company can arrange to have materials which may contain asbestos tested and will be able to remove many common asbestos containing materials. Some asbestos materials will need to be removed by licensed asbestos contractors.

Fire damaged does not only refer to the building but the contents inside which homeowners may have spent years saving to buy. Specialist restoration companies can restore furniture, even antiques and arrange for dry cleaning and laundering of clothes. Electrical goods which have been fire damaged are not normally restored because associated costs often exceed replacement costs.