Fire Damage Restoration in Oak Ridge Multi-Level Homes

1/28/2024 (Permalink)

If fire damage occurs in your home, contact SERVPRO immediately. Our certified technicians can get your home back to normal in no time.

Immediate Assistance 24/7 with SERVPRO®

Disaster can strike at any moment, and when fire wreaks havoc in a multi-level home, the road to recovery can seem daunting. Thankfully, SERVPRO is your ally in restoring not just the structure but also peace of mind. Our skilled technicians are ready to respond 24/7, ensuring prompt and efficient fire damage restoration in Oak Ridge.

The Unseen Enemy: Water Damage

While flames are the apparent culprits with fire damage restoration projects in Oak Ridge, water damage often lurks in their aftermath. The water used to douse the flames can permeate walls, ceilings, and floors, creating a breeding ground for mold and further compromising the structural integrity of your home. At SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties, we understand the intricacies of fire and water damage restoration, addressing both aspects comprehensively. Our goal is not just to repair but to ensure your home is free from hidden threats.

Certifications That Speak Volumes

When entrusting your home to a restoration service, certifications matter. SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties takes pride in its industry-recognized certifications, assuring you of our commitment to excellence. Our technicians are certified through the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC), showcasing our expertise in handling fire damage restoration.

Certifications Include:

• IICRC Water Damage Restoration
• IICRC Fire and Smoke Restoration
• IICRC Applied Structural Drying

The SERVPRO Advantage

With years of experience and a team of highly trained professionals, we bring the SERVPRO advantage to every restoration project. Our systematic approach ensures no detail gets overlooked, from the initial assessment moving into the final touches. We employ cutting-edge technology along with industry best practices to expedite the restoration process without compromising quality. Here to Help® 24/7.

When fire strikes your multi-level home in Oak Ridge, swift and expert restoration is essential. SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties stands as your reliable partner, offering round-the-clock assistance and certified expertise. Trust us to navigate the complexities of fire damage restoration so you can reclaim not just your home but also peace of mind. Call us at (865) 986-3015 or request help online.

Types of Fire Damage and Response to Buildings in Oak Ridge

5/20/2023 (Permalink)

Local Tennessee Fire Departments protect our citizens following a house fire. SERVPRO strives to complete the job,"Like it never even happened."

Different Types of Fires Require Specific Restoration Responses for Homes in Oak Ridge

Fires are caused by many different sources in Oak Ridge, including lightning, faulty electrical circuits, negligence, and outdated wiring systems, to name a few. These fires cause a great deal of damage; however, there are different types of fire damage in every fire, which must be addressed distinctly with appropriate processes and cleaning procedures.

SERVPRO provides fire damage cleaning and restoration services to Oak Ridge residents and building owners. Our technicians are highly trained in dealing with all types of fires, smoke residues, and chemicals used to extinguish fires.

There are three main types of damage caused by fires. These include:

• Damage caused by the flames
• Damage caused by smoke residue and odors
• Damage caused by the chemicals used to extinguish the fire, e.g., water, fire retardant, etc., and the efforts of the firefighters investigating interior walls and ceilings

SERVPRO provides fire damage cleaning and restoration services to Oak Ridge residents and building owners. Our technicians are highly trained in dealing with all types of fires, smoke residues, and chemicals used to extinguish fires.

Flame damage can be very different than an electrical fire. Flames burn fabrics and char wood and drywall products, while electrical fires may cause arcing leading to flame damage to the surrounding materials. Typically, heat from a blaze causes more extensive structural and content damage, often requiring a degree of demolition.

Smoke damage, including residues and odors, can last much longer and inundate the entire building, including all of the contents. Smoke residues may cause some porous surfaces to discolor, while nonporous surfaces can be wiped clean and the odors removed. Each item exposed to smoke damage must be evaluated, and the appropriate deodorization approach must be applied.

Water and fire retardant chemicals can lead to secondary damage, including mold and porous wood product damage. Firefighters often must break open walls and ceilings to check for hotspots. Fast removal of water, cleaning, and drying can reduce secondary damage.

SERVPRO applies controlled demolition techniques to remove secondary damage and repair or restore open walls and ceilings. We consider these issues during our initial assessment and use the appropriate fire restoration protocols to return your home to its original condition.

Call SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties for fire damage restoration services. We provide service to Oak Ridge and nearby areas. We can help 24/7. Call (865) 271-9011.

What Special Handling Does Oak Ridge Kitchen Fire Damage Need?

3/28/2023 (Permalink)

SERVPRO addresses water damage left behind by extinguishing efforts before cleaning up fire damage in your home.

SERVPRO Brings the Latest Fire Cleanup Techniques in Oak Ridge

After a kitchen fire in an Oak Ridge property, there can be numerous issues left behind for SERVPRO technicians to handle. This room in the home is commonly the hub for the plumbing and contains more appliances than other areas. The potential for a more significant casualty to home contents from both fire and water damage.

Water in an Oak Ridge kitchen with fire damage can complicate the situation. SERVPRO technicians work diligently to remove soaked items left within the kitchen and extract any remaining water before it can seep under flooring and create further problems during the fire cleanup service. SERVPRO technicians use different methods for water removal and cleanup, including:

• Extraction pump equipment
• Hand tools
• Microfiber towels and drying equipment

What Items Get Removed During Fire Damage Cleanup

Some articles cannot remain within a home after a fire because soot particles can get pushed within containers and other areas, including food receptacles, due to hot air expansion during the active part of the house fire. It is not safe to consume any foodstuffs, even canned goods, in the impact area of fire damage.

Appliances Need Inspection Before Reuse

Although the fridge, stove, or other appliance may look "okay" with only the need for any exterior cleaning of the smoke damage, the heat from the fire can ruin the electrical components within the item. SERVPRO technicians always recommended that homeowners err on the side of safety and allow an inspection before the things get reused. It is never safe to turn on an electrical appliance with potential fire damage to see if it will turn on. Testing a fridge or stove without an inspection by a certified industry professional can run the risk of:

• Shock
• Electrical fire
• Permanent damage to the item

Charred or Smoke Damage?

After a fire has occurred, a kitchen can be covered in black, smelly soot. SERVPRO technicians have the necessary training to discern the charred elements from those within the job site that the homeowner can reuse through advanced cleaning methods such as immersion or sonic applications. Charred building materials get removed through careful, controlled demo actions, reducing the smoke odors within the kitchen. Items that need surface cleaning get removed outside the worksite for detailed attention from assigned technicians.

The Challenge of Protein Fires

The fire damage left behind from a pan caught on fire on a stovetop is multilayered. The remnants left behind from this kind of home disaster leave a nearly invisible layer of greasy film on all surfaces in the immediate area. Not only is it difficult to see, but it also carries a strong odor. SERVPRO technicians use professional EPA-approved cleaning agents to remove these tough residues but also assist in eradicating the pungent smell.

Speaking of Odor Control After Fire Damage

No one cares to eat or cook in a kitchen that smells like something burned in it. SERVPRO technicians have specific equipment and methods to remove all traces of smoke odors. This is one of the final tasks before repairs, or needed reconstruction actions occur.

SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties at (865) 986-3015 brings professional fire damage restoration services to the Oak Ridge area. The trained, certified technicians arrive quickly and handle the job from start to finish.

Smoke Residues Requiring Fire Damage Restoration in Oak Ridge Homes

12/29/2022 (Permalink)

Various fire sources create differing types of smoke and soot deposits. SERVPRO is trained to restore all kinds of fire damage.

Fire Damage Restoration Through Soot Removal

Soot is one of the priorities of fire restoration services because prolonged exposure can destroy the materials underneath where these particles land. We have multiple products that can manage specific aspects of soot cleanup, from corrosivity to staining. Three common types of this damage include:

• Dry Smoke
• Wet Smoke
• Protein Deposits

Dry Smoke Deposits

Fire damage restoration for Oak Ridge homes often hinges on professional recovery professionals like our SERVPRO team. We must evaluate the property's condition after combustion, as soot deposits threaten the structure. Among the easiest types of this damage to manage is dry smoke resulting from high heat and nearly total burning of materials affected. The product is a thin and chalky residue on surfaces capable of getting removed with tools and products like chemical sponges. 

Wet Smoke Residues

Wet smoke is among the more tough smoke soils to remove, mainly because of the moist conditions of the property. Wet smoke results from smoldering fires that do not reach as excessive of temperatures. In this case, partial combustion occurs in all affected areas, creating a challenging soil deposit on horizontal surfaces. Alkaline cleaners and abrasive media blasting can be beneficial in removing formidable wet smoke without destroying the substrate affected.

Grease/Protein Fire Byproducts

Kitchen fires comprise a high percentage of the residential fire damage cleanup and repair work our SERVPRO team conducts. Stovetop fires deposit grease and protein residues on surfaces like cabinets and countertops. Beyond the potent, offensive smells accompanying this thick soiling, solvents must get utilized to break down the residues and preserve the underlying materials.

The type of smoke and fire damage your home experiences will require various cleaning and restoration solutions. We carefully evaluate the state of your house and can provide efficient solutions to get back to preloss condition. Call SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties at (865) 986-3015. 

What Are the Main Focal Points of Professional Fire Restoration?

8/27/2022 (Permalink)

If fire damage occurs in your home, contact SERVPRO immediately. Our professionals are available to remediate the fire damage in your home.

Our SERVPRO professionals can help protect your Oak Ridge property and belongings after fire damage. 

As a general term, fire restoration and recovery can mean many different specific actions for your Oak Ridgeresidence. After a loss incident, the condition of your property can be an overwhelming sight, so our SERVPRO professionals offer a fast response to get vital mitigation work started immediately. The sooner these actions begin, the less destructive structure fires can be.

Fire restoration for Oak Ridge residences encompasses various actions necessary to return a property to a preloss condition. Extinguishment can be tricky in this regard, as property owners begin to assume that loss effects do not continue or even worsen after a fire gets put out. With conditions like oily residues, soot, and odors, post-fire houses require substantial attention from our qualified Fire & Smoke Restoration Technicians (FSRT) accredited through the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC.)

What is Content Management?

Protecting your belongings is a vital focus of responding fire restoration technicians on our SERVPRO team. We can appreciate how valuable your possessions and keepsakes are, and preventing irreparable damage or restoring these items quickly can be a glimmer of hope during an otherwise dark time. Depending on the situation and the contents affected, the methods of protecting your possessions or restoring them vary. Some of these options include:

• On-Site Relocation – Migrating loss effects like odors and soot can cause substantial harm to sensitive materials and belongings in your home. Ideally, with a fast response to the damage site, our technicians can remove these items in the path of damaging effects and place them out of harm’s way. 
• On-Site Restoration – In some situations, residues and odors have already impacted some of your belongings before our technicians arrive. Depending on the nature of the damage and the specific materials involved, it is sometimes possible to clean surfaces and deodorize these contents on-site.
• Off-Site Recovery – Pack-out processes remove your possessions from the house entirely, taking them to our nearby facility for focused cleaning and restoration with more advanced techniques and equipment. We have ultrasonic submersion tanks, ozone chambers, and other specialty tools to recover damaged items. 

What Steps Are Necessary for Cleaning After a Fire?

Cleaning up after a fire can take some planning and consideration, as several of these steps must occur at specific intervals during the restoration process. Missing a window to implement some of these cleaning and recovery practices could lead to unsalvageable structural elements and ruined contents. Some of these cleaning stages that our technicians must implement include:

• Fire Debris Removal – For multiple reasons, from shoveling to dry/wet vacuuming, removing heaps and piles of rubbish, ash, and debris is valuable. Debris removal from the residence lessens the severity of odors, soot, and other loss effects. This process also allows our technicians better to understand the damaged area and the restorative tasks necessary.
• Soot Cleaning – Soot can be one of our technicians' most significant obstacles when restoring fire losses. These carcinogens are acidic, making them a volatile substance to cake to the surface of exposed materials and contents. Cleaning soot involves abrasive tactics like steel wool and brushing, but in many cases, soda blasting or even controlled demolition. 
• Residue Removal – Oily residues can also be a common threat for cleaning technicians after a fire. When specific materials burn off in the house, these thick layers of smoke and oil residues can adhere to the surfaces of exposed materials. With water-based chemical solvents, much of this oil-based residue can get emulsified and rinsed away. 

Do Odors Go Away on Their Own?

Odors can spread rapidly throughout the residence, making them a distinct challenge for even professional restorers like ours. Because of how widespread these conditions can be, we have multiple tools to handle smoke and other foul odors after a fire loss. From light, handheld units to larger stationery designs that can simultaneously impact thousands of square feet, we can help with your odor problems. Some of these devices include:

• Thermal Foggers
• Hydroxyl Generators
• Ozone Machines

Fire losses can be a considerable struggle for many area homeowners because they might not fully understand their responsibility versus what to expect from fire restoration. Our SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties team can help with a comprehensive solution beginning with mitigation and emergency services and continuing through post-fire repairs and reconstruction. Call us today at (865) 986-3015.

Fire Damage Restoration in Lenoir City is Possible Thanks to SERVPRO

7/26/2022 (Permalink)

Smoke detectors are an essential part of fire safety. Periodically test your smoke alarms and replace the batteries.

Expert Tips to Help Protect Your Lenoir City Home from a Home Fire

We all hear of Lenoir City fire remediation following flames engulfing a home and leaving debris and destruction behind it. However, we don’t always hear of smaller home fires that also upset home life and leave an unfortunate trail of damage in their wake. These less notable fires are not without repercussions and can happen quickly due to human error. Finding the right team to help you handle the aftermath is critical to returning your home to mint condition.

When searching for fire damage restoration in Lenoir City, you will find SERVPRO as a distinct leader in the fire damage remediation industry. Our reputation hinges on the expertise of our crew and knowledge acquired through on-the-field experiences, where we take proven scientific principles to counteract the effects of fire while focusing on mitigating your loss of time and resources. Once you call our 24/7 hotline, our team is dispatched with industry-specific equipment to tend to your restoration needs.

Among the recommendations to avoid fire damage altogether, keep in mind the following:

• Install and periodically test your smoke alarms. Be prompt in replacing batteries and keep them in working order.
• Pay close attention to your cooking, and don’t leave it unattended. Kitchen fires, particularly grease fires, can cause extensive damage to cabinets, floors, and appliances, which could become costly.
• Watch your electrical outlets and their cords. Keep clear of soft fabrics, overloads, and frayed cords.

House fires can happen, but taking a few precautionary steps can help you avoid it. When emergencies happen, SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties is ready to help. Call us at (865) 986-3015 and let us work for you until your home feels “Like it never even happened.”

Finding Professional Restoration Once Your Kingston House Fire Is Extinguished

7/3/2022 (Permalink)

Dealing with fire damage in your home can be quite overwhelming. Partner with SERVPRO for effective remediation services. We are standing by 24/7.

Kingston Fire Damage Restoration Should Be Handled by a Professional Company--SERVPRO

When a fire breaks out in your Kingston home, you trust in the local professionals at the fire department to do their part to put out the flames and extinguish the threat. Unfortunately, once it reaches the point where you can safely assess the situation, nearly all of the damage has happened. Now you set your attention on finding a way forward from the current damage you face to return your home to its preloss conditions.

Fire damages in your Kingston residence appear in many areas and many ways. Our SERVPRO technicians work closely with you to determine what lingering effects make living in your home the most difficult and then work our way back from this priority. All of this starts with an initial assessment of the property to determine the full scope of the damage that our restoration technicians face.

Fire extinguishment can sometimes cause damage itself, however. With the high volumes of water necessary to quell significant incidents and the need for access holes through parts of the exterior of your home, at times it can feel like this process caused more damage than the fire did. Our technicians can get to work quickly on removing the water and cleaning up the mess this process left behind.

Then our SERVPRO professionals set their sights on other significant concerns, like the likely widespread smoke and soot damages. Heavy-duty vacuum systems can remedy a lot of the present soot damages, even in inaccessible areas, and sponges used dry or with a cleaning solution can help to remove more set in stains. Deodorization with thermal foggers is one of the last steps in fire restoration. It can help you to breathe a little easier in your house once again. SERVPRO techs often place HEPA filtration equipped air scrubbers to grab any airborne particulates and odors.

With the widespread damage of significant fires, you can often find yourself at a loss of how to proceed. Your insurance adjuster insists on professional restoration to get the claim approved, and our SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties team of experienced restorers is ready to clean up the mess. We even coordinate our efforts with you and your adjuster to reduce the stress. Give us a call anytime at (865) 986-3015.

Fire Damage Restoration of HardWood in Lenoir City

5/24/2022 (Permalink)

Fire damage restoration and repair of hardwood flooring after a Lenoir City house fire is possible -- just call SERVPRO

SERVPRO Can Restore Flooring after Fire Damage

When fires get out of control, they send hot smoke and ash into the surrounding atmosphere. Much of this smoke and ash bonds to surfaces on ceilings or upper walls in an indoor environment and can be challenging to remove. Once the flames are extinguished, non-bonded soots fall to the surfaces below, causing floor damage.

SERVPRO is a fire damage restoration service in Lenoir City that can help to repair your home after a fire. A burnt structure often shows significant signs of floor damage that may require technicians to clean at both the beginning and end of a service. Hard flooring can be categorized into four separate groups, with wood floors being among the highest value. Wood flooring has high concentrations of cellulose, which can lead to it absorbing any water used in the firefighting procedure and require prompt drying to mitigate potential loss. Smoke residues can also settle on wood floors, causing staining and malodors. Our technicians can help with:

• Fire restoration
• Smoke removal
• Odor control

Our priority is to clean smoke-damaged hardwood flooring without causing harm to the floors existing finish. That means using non-acidic cleaning products to remove light and moderate smoke residues. Sometimes property fires can release aerosols into the home. Aerosols are volatile particles that can penetrate wood materials through the varnish and finish. SERVPRO technicians may have to utilize more advanced restoration methods in these situations. Generally, if there are signs of aerosol damage to wood floors, we begin by stripping the existing finish. The woods are then cleaned or sanded to remove the residues from the surface. Technicians can then return to the property several times to refinish the wooden flooring to its preloss condition.

• Refinishing wood flooring without experience and expertise should be avoided at all costs.
• Sometimes a subcontractor may be used to repair heavily damaged wood flooring.
• The type of flooring, whether strip, plank, or parquet, can impact the amount of damage sustained during a fire.

If soot or ash damages your floors, contact SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties for fire damage restoration at (865) 986-3015.

Why Smoke Odors Are a Challenging Fire Damage for Lenoir City

3/27/2022 (Permalink)

When dealing with fire damage, odors can often remain when not remediated properly. Contact SERVPRO to assess and mitigate the scenario in your home.

Fire Damage from Smoke Malodors Impacts Lenoir City Properties Severely

There are many layers and phases of fire restoration and recovery for your home. It is necessary to approach these situations urgently, and your insurance provider will want experienced and reputable restoration professionals to help. We can aid in overcoming smoke damage like odors in your home after a disaster.

Open-Air Odors

Considering the many ways fire damage in Lenoir City homes and businesses can develop and spread, having effective strategies to combat smoke damage and its related effects is crucial. This begins with addressing airborne contaminants and smoke solids that make the environment dangerous for house occupants. HEPA filtration can also help to address harsh odors in the work area.

Trapped Smells in Soft Materials

• Clothing – Clothing and other soft materials can absorb smoke odors quickly with their high porosity. Thermal fogging can often reduce or even remove trapped odors in these materials, but dry cleaning might also be needed in more extreme cases.
• Furniture – It is necessary to quickly address any furniture that has absorbed smoke orders, especially the upholstery. We have specific cleaning technicians certified in upholstery and fabric cleaning (UFT) to help.
• Carpets – Carpets can also rapidly absorb smoke odors into the fibers and padding layers. When combined with vaporous deodorization practices, cleaning the carpet with hot water extraction or bonnet cleaning tools can often overcome these threats.

Damage to Contents

In addition to the damage that odors can cause to the open areas and specific contents of your home able to absorb this damage, we must also consider how threatening malodors can be to large groups of personal belongings and keepsakes in the house. Even with the ability to clean these materials from soot deposits, it is often necessary to relocate them to our nearby SERVPRO facility for deodorization with our ozone chamber.

Trust in our SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties team when fire damages threaten your home. We can help 24/7 at (865) 986-3015.

Fire Damage Problems in Harriman

3/27/2022 (Permalink)

After the fire fighters leave, you will notice that water also damaged your property. Contact SERVPRO to help deal with both and remediate your home.

SERVPRO Can Help with Water and Fire Damage in Your Home

Many times when a fire burns a house in Harriman water gets used to extinguish the blaze. Often homes that suffer burn damage also get affected by water. Different techniques get utilized when there are multiple types of damage present.

Smoke created by the fire spreads throughout the building leaving behind soot residues and foul odors. SERVPRO's fire damage technicians in Harriman know that excessive water can change the way soot residues get removed. A major part of any restoration process is cleaning any affected building materials or contents.

If a fire burns for a long time, many building materials can get burnt and charred. In some cases, flames burn a home so severely that all heating ducts and electrical wires running in the attic get torched and the house no longer has power. If the house does not have electricity, then any materials that got saturated with water must get removed within 72 hours so that mold does not form.

When a fire gets extinguished, the fire department often saturates building materials throughout the entire house. When building materials are wet, everything must get removed including drywall and insulation. Once the house gets stripped down to the studs, drying equipment gets set up inside the building to dry out the wooden studs that make up the home's structure.

After moisture levels return to preloss conditions, smoke and burn damage issues that are present get addressed. It is possible that flames and heat burn trusses and studs so bad to where they get replaced. If the charring does not go too deep into the wood, then sanding the charred material off can work.

After all of the burnt material and smoke damage gets removed from the structural materials the area gets sealed with a specialized paint. The sealant paint coats the materials so that foul odors are trapped beneath it. The paint also protects the wood from microbial growth.

After problems with the trusses and studs are remediated, the reconstruction phase begins. If you ever need professional help with smoke or water damage call SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties at (865) 986-3015 any time of the day.

Can Reconstruction of a Loudon Home After a Fire Happen if It Still Has Smoke Odors?

2/4/2022 (Permalink)

Smoke odor and fire damage restoration are cornerstone's of SERVPRO services in the Greater Loudon Area

SERVPRO Technicians Have the Training, Tools, and Experience to Restore and Refresh Your Loudon Home after Damage from Fire

Attic fires are one of the worst types of fires as they can rain down debris, smoke damage, and soot all over the lower levels of your Loudon property. This home disaster often creates huge odor issues throughout the home. It can bring cross-contamination issues if soot begins circulating through the residence's ductwork, spreading the smoke's scent throughout the property. Odor control measures need to be taken before any repairs or rebuilding occur, or you will be stuck with the smell of the fire as long as you remain in the home.

Can Fire Damage on Walls and Ceilings Get Cleaned?

There is never an absolute answer for the restoration of a Loudon home with fire damage. Many factors contribute to the outcome of every job SERVPRO technicians work on, such as:

• If there is water damage wicked into the sheetrock of walls and ceilings
• The amount of charring on building materials
• The type of smoke residues left on the structure

The technicians test the residues to determine the best cleaning methods to use. In some cases, when the building materials have no evidence of charring, heat damage, or deterioration due to water, the techs may opt to use a sealant when the maximum amount of residues have gotten removed, and residual fire odors remain. Along with air quality improvement measures such as negative air chambers to port in the fresh air and air scrubbers to capture airborne particulates, the techs successfully remove all traces of smoke odors.

When you need restoration for your home and contents post-fire damage, contact SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties (865) 986-3015. The trained, certified techs have the experience and equipment to get your home restored completely, “Like it never even happened.”

How Does SERVPRO Get Rid of Odors During Fire Restoration of Your Lenoir City Homes?

9/28/2021 (Permalink)

SERVPRO recognizes the efforts of the Lenoir City firefighters and we hope to assist our neighbors with the aftermath of fire damage

SERVPRO Techs Use Advanced Technology and Tools to Combat Odors During Fire Restoration of Lenoir City Homes

Odors after a fire damage incident result from airborne chemicals, gasses, or tiny particles. SERVPRO techs use several techniques and state-of-the-art equipment to combat these odors during fire restoration of your Lenoir City property.   

In some instances, SERVPRO techs need to recreate the conditions that caused the odor to penetrate during fire restoration of Lenoir City properties. For example, our technicians use foggers to create a mist of deodorant molecules that resemble the smoke and penetrate the pores of materials. However, the size of the smoke and soot particles is not the only factor that contributes to their penetration into the material.

What Makes Combating Odor After Smoke Damage to Your Lenoir City Home Difficult?

Several characteristics of the smoke particles make them difficult to combat during the fire restoration of your Lenoir City home. Firstly, due to the microscopic nature of the particles (0.1 – 4 microns), they can accumulate in the pores of certain surfaces. SERVPRO techs often use thermal foggers to recreate the conditions that cause the odor particles to penetrate.

As most domestic fires burn at a high temperature, the pores of the various surfaces tend to expand, allowing the particles to penetrate deeper. Furthermore, when the heat is removed, the pores constrict, trapping the odor-causing particles.

Humidity also plays an important role in increasing the perception of odor in fire-damaged homes. High humidity levels help the volatile odor molecules to dissolve in moisture and carry them to your nose. Consequently, wetter air seems to have a stronger odor than dry air.

If you need assistance with fire restoration of your home, do not hesitate to contact SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties at (865) 986-3015; we are available 24/7.

Fire Damage Experts in Loudon

8/12/2021 (Permalink)

When your home is damaged by a fire, you want experienced professionals on the job. Call SERVPRO day or night, we are always available to help.

Call on SERVPRO to Restore Your Home after Fire Damage

Anytime a fire starts indoors, the aftermath is devastating. If your Loudon home is ever the victim of a severe blaze, many different types of damage possibly occur. A fire's flames, heat, and smoke all cause different kinds of damage to the contents and building materials inside your house.

Sometimes fires behave strangely, and all of the damage caused is not obvious. It is wise to call SERVPRO's fire damage specialists in Loudon to ensure every area damaged gets the necessary attention. Smoke often travels to areas of the building away from the source that causes soot residues and unpleasant odors.

Whenever dealing with a fire situation, our SERVPRO technicians study how flames and smoke behave. The damage created during the burn is different in every case. Many factors affect how severely a home gets damaged in a blaze.

After a burn, the amount of damage created depends on what materials got burned and the amount of heat, oxygen, and moisture present. Airflow inside the building and the types of smoke residues present also play a role in determining how severe a structure gets damaged. Another factor that affects the cleanability of the damage present is the type of surface smoke and heat effect.

House Fire Clean Up

The type of surface smoke comes in contact with changes how the surface gets damaged. Porous surfaces allow soot residues and odors to penetrate deeply into the material and are more challenging to clean than non-porous surfaces. Synthetic fibers tend to collect more soot but are easier to clean than natural fibers.

Another factor that changes how easily an object is to clean is the age of the surface. As a general rule, the older the surface is, the harder it is to clean. This rule holds whether the surface is paint, carpet, or fabric.

To make sure all smoke and soot get adequately cleaned after fire damage, it is wise to seek professional help. Remember, you can call SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties at (865) 986-3015 for 24/7 assistance.

Can SERVPRO Handle Odor Issues After Fire Damage to Lenoir City Homes?

6/23/2021 (Permalink)

After a fire, the smoke odors linger. SERVPRO has the tools and equipment to remove the odors.

SERVPRO Uses a Multi-Step Approach to Combat Odors After Fire Damage to Lenoir City Homes

One of the biggest challenges that the restorers face after fire damage to your Lenoir City home is the odor. SERVPRO technicians understand the science behind the odor-causing smoke and soot particles and use a multi-step approach to eliminate them from a fire-damaged home.  

SERVPRO technicians deal with odor-causing molecules after fire damage to your Lenoir City home by either masking the odor with pleasant-smelling deodorizers or chemically neutralizing them. SERVPRO techs use equipment such as Ultra Low Volume (ULV) misters to deodorize large areas after the fire and smoke damage, such as attics and crawl spaces. ULV foggers can produce small deodorant particles between 20-60 microns. However, other techniques are needed in some cases, such as fires involving protein residue and synthetic material. 

What is a Thermal Fogger that SERVPRO Techs Use During Fire Restoration in Lenoir City? 

A thermal fogger is an instrument that uses heat to vaporize a solvent-based or a petroleum-based deodorizer generating a 'smoke' or a fog containing very tiny particles (between 0.5 to 25 microns). As the deodorizer particles behave like smoke produced in a fire, they can interact more effectively with the odor-causing residues during smoke remediation of your Lenoir City home. The thermal fogs containing 'pairing agents' combine chemically with the odor-causing particles and neutralize them rather than just masking the odor. 

If the SERVPRO technicians decide to use this technique, all people, pets, and plants must be evacuated from the environment. As fogging agents are flammable, all flame sources, electrical arc, or flash are also eliminated. 

Call SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties at (865) 986-3015; we can deal with any size disaster. 

How Can Contents Get Restored After Loudon Housefires?

5/5/2021 (Permalink)

If your home had a recent fire, time is of the essence! Contact SERVPRO for certified technicians and the right equipment for the remediation!

Damage to Belongings in Loudon Homes Can Often Get Restored After a Structure Fire

Most homeowners place a high value on their personal belongings, making this a critical aspect of the fire restoration services we provide. Often, this process involves the various on-site cleaning and recovery actions our technicians are available to perform. When relocation and on-site cleaning are not feasible, we have a nearby SERVPRO facility for advanced restoration.

What Off-Site Cleaning is Available for Fire-Damaged Items in Loudon Homes?

Fire damage restoration for Loudon homes often hinges on the actions that we can implement for damaged contents. When pack-out occurs, and personal belongings are relocated to our warehouse, our cleaning technicians have multiple options to clean, restore, and protect these possessions. Some of these include:

• Esporta Wash System
• Ultrasonic Tank Cleaning
• Focused surface cleaning
• Ozone chamber deodorization
• Secure, safe storage

Fire damage restoration often involves more than fire and smoke damage cleanup, but also the restoration and recovery of damaged contents. Our SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties team can help with a fast response and trusted cleaning practices. Give us a call today at (865) 986-3015.

Local Loudon Residents Call on SERVPRO for Fire Damage Remediation

4/12/2021 (Permalink)

Regardless of the room the fire affected, team SERVPRO can help. Call us for trained technicians and the right remediation equipment for the job.

Fire Damage Restoration Works Against Grease Fires in Loudon Kitchens

Nothing can leave damage and odors behind like dinner gone wrong. This form of house fire cleanup leaves multiple challenges for technicians that they are more than ready to meet such as: 

• Fire and smoke damage
• Need for a smoke remediation
• Strong, pungent fire odors

SERVPRO technicians bring everything needed for Loudon fire damage remediation jobs. This type of house fire clean up can entail extensive smoke residue removal and more than a single type of odor neutralization application.

The majority of kitchen fires happen when either a protein with ice still present comes into contact with hot oil or water gets tossed on a grease fire. Both of these scenarios cause the water to turn instantly into a vapor and rise taking the oil particles and flames along with it. This action can cause a fire to spread rapidly with a large amount of damage in a short time. Fortunately, many of the EPA-registered, professional cleaning agents the techs utilize during fire restoration services can tackle even stuck-on smoke damage. 

SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties at (865) 986-3015 brings years of experience and expertise to every fire damage remediation in Loudon properties.

Lenoir City Residents Call on SERVPRO for Fire Restoration

3/28/2021 (Permalink)

Don’t let fire damage affect your home for long! Contact Team SERVPRO for fire damage remediation services. Call right away.

Local Lenoir City Property Owners Get Professional House Fire Clean Up

Lenoir City is jointly named for the Revolutionary War officer and well-known statesman William Lenoir and his son William Ballard Lenoir. There are also two cities in North Carolina named after the father and son. Although the surname is French in origin, the family initially immigrated from England due to religious persecution in the 17th century.

William Lenoir was the youngest of ten children born in Virginia, and although he received no formal education, he taught himself to read and write Latin, Greek, and French. As a young man, he married and went on to see his family grow to nine children. He worked as a local schoolmaster and surveyor before joining the war effort.

Lenoir in the Revolutionary War

Once enlisted into the military, Lenoir served with honor during the Revolutionary War. He made a name for himself during King's Mountain's battle and found himself promoted to captain in his regiment. He was renowned for his bravery in three more critical battles of this period: 

• Battle of Stono Ferry 
• Siege of Savannah 
• Battle of Haw River 

Post-Revolutionary War Service 

During the war, Lenoir achieved the status of major general, and when the War of 1812 broke out, he tried to join the ranks of the men fighting but was told he was too old to enter into a combat situation. This disillusioned Lenoir to the point he resigned from the military. 

Lenoir in Civilian Life

Lenoir was a staunch anti-federalist and served as a justice of the peace for Wilkes County, North Carolina. He had the honor of being the first president of the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and there is a section named for him known as Lenoir Hall. He served in the state legislature and was elected to the State Senate as Speaker, serving from 1790 until 1795. He took exception to the new United States Constitution and argued that it should not get ratified until religious freedoms were guaranteed. The final version included those rights.

Can Professional Fire Restoration Work on Lenoir City Laminate and Tile Countertops?

The two most prevalent areas of Lenoir City where fire restoration services get needed for the cleanup of countertops are the kitchen and bathroom. There are special considerations for cleaning smoke damage from atop these areas of the home.

SERVPRO technicians have lengthy training using the restoration techniques as taught through the IICRC for the best outcome after fire damage in a home. These methods include:

• Testing residues for smoke remediation
• Removal of charred items during house fire clean up
• Use of gentle yet powerful cleaning agents on countertops

Common countertop materials include wood, tile, Formica, granite, and laminate. The same cleaners cannot get used on all of these. The techs test the residues and ensure the application chosen will not harm the surface; this ensures the best outcome for the property owner during the fire restoration. 

SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties at (865) 986-3015 brings years of experience and comprehensive training for fire restoration services to Lenoir City Properties.

Lenoir City Residents Need Skilled Technicians to Handle Fire Damage When Restoring Their Property

11/23/2020 (Permalink)

Did you have a fire loss in your building? Call SERVPRO for your fire damage needs.

SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties Has IICRC-Certified Restoration Professionals Ready to Tackle Soot, Smoke, and Fire Damage

With a population of 6,418 people as of the time that the 2000 U.S. Census was taken, Lenoir City, Tennessee, has grown rather rapidly to a population of 8,642 in 2010. This is a region you will find nestled in Loudon County, Tennessee, and part of the state's eastern region in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area. Notable landmarks include the Tennessee River to the southwest area of Knoxville, TN, and nearby Fort Loudoun Dam.

Diving into the History of Lenoir City, Tennessee

Prior to the arrival of the very first European settlers, Lenoir City had been home to Native Americans for thousands of years. At one point, archaeologists found evidence dating back to the Archaic Period between 8000 to 1000 B.C., showing that there was habitation in this region on Bussell Island at the southern point of the Tennessee River. 

A 5,000-acre parcel of land that included what is now known as Lenoir City was deeded as payment to General William Lenoir in the early 19th century. This was done as payment for the services he rendered during his participation in the American Revolutionary War.

Fast forward to the 20th century in the 1930s; there were many projects put together by the Federal Government that works to boost the economy of Lenoir City, TN. In 1940, construction began on Fort Loudoun Dam and Reservoir under the guidance of the Tennessee Valley Authority. This move provided hundreds of jobs for locals and brought in a broad range of road improvements all across the region. In the 1950s and 1960s, the construction of I-40 and I-75 began as part of the Interstate Highway System. After U.S. Highway 321 got constructed in the 1980s in Lenoir City, it offered more accessibility to Blount County’s Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Lenoir City, TN, Offers Plenty of Things to See and Do

From sprawling parks and nature hotspots to great restaurants and activities, there is never a dull moment in and around the Lenoir City area of Tennessee. Just a few of the more popular stops that people make when in the area include:

• The Lenoir City Museum & Cotton Mill Site

Whenever you want to learn more about any city, it is best to check out local museums and historical sites. While Lenoir City seemed to be nothing more than a railroad stop, it has rich history and stories to uncover. At Lenoir City Museum & Cotton Mill, you will discover a broad range of artifacts detailing the city's history from the earliest times to the present. Within four rooms, you will see old equipment relating to rail cars, school memorabilia, items pertaining to Major William B. Lenoir, and relics from churches in the area. On-site, you will also have a chance to explore the cotton mill dating back to the Civil War in full operation until the 19th century. Here, you will have a glimpse of the cotton mill and how it evolved through the years.

• Melton Hill Dam

Built back in 1960, Melton Hill Dam can be found on the Clinch River, where it serves as a way to help with power generation. You will find a campground and park where families can gather to experience nature and various activities at this site. You can enjoy playgrounds, recreational trails, campsites, and activities such as swimming, biking, hiking, fishing, and nature activities on any given day.

• Lenoir City Pool

Not only is Lenoir City Pool an excellent summertime spot for families in the area to enjoy, but it is also open throughout the winter season. This public swimming pool is a massive lap pool that features slides at both ends. There are outdoor showers, restrooms, and concessions where you can get refreshments in addition to the pool itself. 

• Lenoir City Park

There are many things to see and do in Lenoir City that you can enjoy free of charge, including Lenoir City Park. This park is home to incredible sports facilities, such as beach volleyball courts and two tennis courts. You will find seven picnic shelters, a fishing pier, walking trails, restrooms, and a pair of playgrounds for kids on the grounds here. 

• Lenoir City Jamboree

When you want to experience some local entertainment, then a visit to Lenoir City Jamboree is sure to do the trick. This destination is well-known for being a family-friendly venue that does not serve alcohol and remains smoke-free, just right for all ages. You will find dancing and live music spanning many genres, including classic rock, country, bluegrass, and blues tunes from local and national artists.

From Emergency Board Ups to Powerful Equipment, SERVPRO Handles Your Fire Damage Quickly to Restore Your Lenoir City, TN, Interior to Pre-Loss Condition

After a fire in your Lenoir City Home, you may have broken windows, damaged doors, and openings in your roof. SERVPRO arrives fast to not only assess the damage, but we also offer emergency board-up services to protect your interior from the elements and trespassers until restoration is complete. We’re Faster To Any Size Disaster to help you save your home and get it back to pre-fire condition.

When calling SERVPRO to help with fire damage in Lenoir City, our Green Fleet arrives stocked with the latest technology to handle the debris removal and total restoration efforts. Some of the equipment and techniques we use most often with fire restoration include:

• Hydroxyl generators
• Dry ice blasting
• Moisture sensors
• Sealants
• Controlled demolition and more

Any level of fire loss can be devastating for you, your family, and your finances, which is why you deserve to have trained fire and smoke restoration technicians (FSRT) on the job. SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties has the experience, skills, and equipment to handle the job fast so that you get back to normal quicker. Call us for help with fire damage at (865) 986-3015. We have crews on standby 24 hours a day to handle all of your emergency needs.

What Can I Expect During Professional Fire Restoration in Lenoir City?

8/29/2020 (Permalink)

Training, experience, equipment, and integrity set us apart.

SERVPRO Prioritizes Communication with Lenoir City Homeowners During Fire Restoration -- We Partner with Our Customers for Optimal Results

The response you cannot accept from a restoration company during recovery from a household fire is silence on its evaluation results and the sharing of few details on the project plan. Transparency is critical, with the collaboration going both ways. We can only deliver our best work in Lenoir City if homeowners are forthcoming about structural details and pre-existing damage, of which we otherwise have no prior knowledge. At the same time, you deserve to know the full extent of the damage and how the various strategies we recommend promise to restore normalcy to your life and a return to your home's preloss condition.

Why Do Restoration Companies Emphasize High-Quality Cleaning Over Tear Outs and Replacement?
Professional and specially focused cleaning is the foundation of fire restoration for your Lenoir City home. Relying on the methods, products, and technologies available to the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC)-trained managers and technicians on our team can clear away all types of smoke and soot residues. Cleaning and restoration are significantly less expensive than demolition and replacement, preferred by most insurance carriers, and likely to minimize your out-of-pocket expenses. Restoration is also less disruptive and time-consuming than a rebuild for you and your family.

What Is the First Phase of Professional Fire Restoration?
When SERVPRO crews arrive, our project manager lasers in on hazard assessment and controls. We must maintain a safe household and worksite environment for occupants and our employees. Once we identify the hazards at your site, we institute controls so the fire restoration project can proceed. Our project manager is diligent in communicating both the safety hazards and proposed controls to homeowners. Risks and possible controls at a fire site include:

    •    Overhead and underfoot threats such as partially burned ceilings, walls, floors, and stairs, weakened and likely to fall or fail to support a load
    •    Controls might include installing supports and taping off the area until materials are stabilized or removed.
    •    Firefighting water-related hazards such as --
    •    Slip, trip, and fall
    •    Electric shock
    •    Trapped water that could contribute to the collapse of structures, especially if weakened by heat and charring
    •    Water-borne contaminants
    •    Controls might include IICRC-trained Water Damage Restoration Technicians (WRT) and Applied Structural Drying (ASD) experts to remove, contain, and dispose of the water safely.
    •    Inadequate lighting and confined spaces
    •    Controls might include proper training, setting up of additional lighting, and avoiding solitary task assignment.
    •    Contact with potentially toxic airborne and settled soots and other residues
    •    Controls might include containing the work area, installing air scrubbing equipment, and utilizing IICRC training to ensure cleaning products and residues are appropriately matched.

Note: During water removal and fire residue cleaning and surface restoration, we recommend and observe the following:

    •    Temporary evacuation of you and your loved ones until living spaces can be made safe for habitation.
    •    Wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) by our workers

What Is the Typical Schedule of Fire Restoration Tasks After We Address Safety Concerns?
Water extraction and structural drying are at the top of the agenda. Until we eliminate the safety threats of water incursion, it is impossible to switch the lens to fire damage remediation. The next phases are:

    •    Pick up, bagging, and removal of charred and otherwise damaged debris.
    •    Assessment of the characteristics of the smoke and soot residues that cause corrosion while coating surfaces.
    •    Testing of proposed cleaning products and methods on the various surfaces affected.
    •    Adaptations of the cleaning regimens if surfaces show unacceptable damage from the initial cleaning match.
    •    Discussions with your insurance company, looping you into the communications, if some structural components or contents appear too damaged for restoration -- needing replacement instead.
    •    Implementation of approved and effective cleaning protocols to remove the soot residues.
    •    Arranging for repairs and rebuilding when cleaning was determined inappropriate.
    •    Choosing deodorization strategies if odors persist even after debris removal and thorough cleaning.
    •    Consideration of HVAC system cleaning or sealing if smoke and soot infiltrated and threatens to continue spreading residues and odors

Your confidence in the skilled team from SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties will only grow as we move from assessment by completing the tasks required to make it “Like it never even happened.” Training, experience, equipment, and integrity set us apart. Call (865) 986-3015 to get your fire restoration project going.

We Had a Kitchen Fire in Lenoir City, Will I Smell the Smoke Forever?

7/20/2020 (Permalink)

House fires can occur at any time by accident. Contact SERVPRO for a team of professionals that can remediate the effects of a house fire.

SERVPRO’s Fire Restoration Efforts Help Remove Foul Odors from Smoke and Soot Within Your Lenoir City Home

Any fire leaves behind damage and foul odors, but kitchen fires often create a unique situation. When certain food items burn in a kitchen fire, such as eggs, meats, and other products containing protein, they put out protein residue. This substance quickly adheres to all surfaces, including walls, ceilings, cabinets, and out onto other surfaces in areas such as your adjoining spaces. Because removal of this slippery residue can be challenging, calling in the help of trained restoration professionals to your Lenoir City property is best.

Smoke Traveled into My Dining Room, What About My Belongings?

When you call us for fire restoration in Lenoir City, we take the time to address all items and areas affected by smoke and soot. Some of the steps that we take to ensure your property gets handled in detail includes:

•   Removal – Our technicians will find and then remove any sources of smoke and soot. This includes bringing charred items off site for disposal, yet cleaning and restoring whatever possible.
•   Cleaning – For residue that is not yet absorbed, our crew uses dry cleaning methods. For absorbed residues that call for a deeper clean, we use wet cleaning methods with our range of industrial-grade solvents.
•   Odor Neutralization – To ensure that no odors linger after the removal and cleaning steps, our team utilizes various smell neutralizing techniques. We have odor-absorbing beads, as well as thermal fogging technology that works by putting out a fine mist that binds with smoke particles for easy removal. 

Due to the challenges involved with a kitchen fire and stubborn protein residue, professional assistance with fire restoration is critical. Call us at SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties (865) 986-3015, and we can deploy a crew 24/7 for emergency service. 

Click here for more information about Lenoir City.

Is My Oven Salvageable After a Fire in Lenoir City?

6/15/2020 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties keeps residences looking, “Like it never even happened.”

SERVPRO Technicians Eliminate Fire Damage From Lenoir City Homes

Fire damage in the home is most common in kitchens, with this one area accounting for two out of every five fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) data. While ovens are built to withstand some degree of direct exposure to fire, the damage may require professional assistance to restore your Lenoir City residence.

SERVPRO technicians are trained to return fire-damaged Lenoir City homes to a preloss condition. This firm focuses on thorough training for technicians in the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) standards for fire damage cleanup and restoration.

What Should I Do in the Event of an Oven Fire?

    •    Ovens can smother minor fires. Keep your oven door closed, and most small fires that occur can be snuffed out by the lack of oxygen. However, if additional suppression is needed, try baking soda, salt, or your kitchen fire extinguisher.
    •    Clean up after extinguishing. Ovens need a thorough cleaning after putting out a fire, not just for burnt residues, but also for the fire suppression methods you used.
    •    Confirm whether or not professional repair is needed first. If you are unsure about whether your oven can function after a fire, call an oven repair company for guidance after a small fire.

What Tools Does SERVPRO Use to Remove Soot Residues from My Kitchen?

SERVPRO uses a broad selection of cleaning instruments and solutions for cleaning a variety of surfaces:

    •    HVAC systems can be cleaned with agitating tools to dislodge and eliminate soot deposits.
    •    Light soot residues can be addressed with dry cleaning sponges and EPA-registered detergent solutions.
    •    More substantial damages, such as charred wood cabinets, can be removed with abrasive materials like soda ash or dry ice.

SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties keeps residences looking, “Like it never even happened.” Call (865) 986-3015 for cleanup service from an emergency response team.

How Can I Get Rid of Kitchen Appliance Fire Damage in Lenoir City?

6/4/2020 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties serves the community with emergency-response mitigation that is Faster to Any Size Disaster.

SERVPRO Technicians Provide Fire Damage Cleanup for Lenoir City Homes Affected By Kitchen Fires

Kitchen appliance fires in the home can be overwhelming to deal with, especially for Lenoir City homeowners cooking for loved ones on top of managing work and day-to-day tasks. Unfortunately, however, home cleaning products are not designed to tackle the complexities of fire and smoke residues.

When kitchen fire damage occurs in your Lenoir City home, SERVPRO technicians are ready to bring you rapid mitigation, repair, and restoration that restores your kitchen while minimizing loss of belongings.

Understanding Wet and Dry Smoke in Fire Damage

Fire damage can generate wet or dry smoke, depending on the type of material burned. Dry wood, paper, and cotton or wool, for example, typically produce a dry smoke from fast-burning, high-temperature flames. Synthetic materials, like foam rubber and plastics, produce low-temperature, slow-burning fires that leave behind greasy deposits that are harder to clean.

Several other factors affect the type of residues in a kitchen fire, including:
• The flame’s temperature and access to oxygen
• Burning speed
• Presence of combusted proteins

How SERVPRO Removes Kitchen Fire Damage From Your Residence

If the catalyst of the fire is an appliance failure, the resultant wet residues and aerosols require more cleanup than their drier counterparts. SERVPRO techs typically work from ceiling to floor, addressing dry, light soils before moving on to more heavy-duty cleanup measures.

• Venetian blinds and other materials might require immersion in an ultrasonic tank filled with water and cleaning solution to remove residues thoroughly.
• Protein residues from burnt animal proteins require enzyme digesters to mitigate odors and to alter these hard-to-clean deposits for easy sanitation chemically.
• The air in your home can be cleaned with HEPA-filter air scrubbers designed to catch soot particles and other impurities in the air.

SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties serves the community with emergency-response mitigation that is Faster to Any Size Disaster. Call (865) 986-3015 when you need disaster cleanup at any time of the day or night.

How to Avoid Fire Damage by Checking Your Furnace in Oak Ridge

4/14/2020 (Permalink)

We respond fast to fire damaged properties.

Proper Weatherization can Diminish the Risk of Fire Damage in Oak Ridge

Preparing your home for winter can help minimize the expense of heating your Oak Ridge home. Sealing cracks around doors and windows prevent the loss of heat while keeping cold air from blowing in when wintry winds gust around outside. 

SERVPRO recommends that homeowners check around the furnace's enclosure for soot and darkened areas because these can indicate an increased risk of fire damage to their Oak Ridge home. Signs of puff back may have gone unnoticed last winter, although the tell-tale sound might have bothered you and others when at home. 

Making a thorough check around the furnace in the fall might reveal sooty residue. This residue comes from misfiring of the furnace. Delays in purchasing a new furnace can cause a fire in your home. Flames can quickly enter the ducts and burn through, creating fires in various areas in your home. Furnaces that experience puff back also spew soot into the air. The staining you see around vents within your house show the problem quite visibly. 

After you purchase a new furnace, we can clean affected vents and ducts, to ensure the air heating your home remains clean. Timely removal of this residue from these areas helps keep additional build up from occurring around vents. SERVPRO workers can also get the walls soiled by the soot clean and looking “Like it never even happened.” 

While a fire in the sense that many think about never happened, puff back can cause similar effects. Smoke and soot from a fire invade your home at one time, but with puff back, the soot build-up happens steadily over time. This fine soot can affect more than just the walls around the furnace and vents. Your belongings can become covered in a very thin film of it over time. A deposit like this can create a heavy odor all through your residence. We can eliminate these soot particles, also, with effective cleaning and rinsing methods. 

The IICRC-certified technicians from SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties can eliminate the soot particles that filtered throughout your home and leave things smelling fresh again. If you notice signs of puff back, contact us at (865) 986-3015. Our technicians are more than happy to assist those in Tellico Village, Blue Springs, and Kingston, also.

Learn more about the Friendship Bell in Oak Ridge by clicking here.

Restoration Professionals in Lenoir City Tell the Best Ways to Remove Fire Damage Odors

3/23/2020 (Permalink)

Do you know how to remove fire damage odors from your home? SERVPRO does! Call us for fast and effective remediation.

Different Responses That Can Help Deal with Odor from Fire Damage Incidents in Lenoir City

Fire incidents lead to different problems that must be dealt with to restore the preloss conditions in a property. The most common problem is a bad odor, which can develop from minor or catastrophic events. The response taken to remove odor from a property may depend on the intensity of the fire damage.

Ventilating the confined area

Some fire damage incidents in Lenoir City may be localized within a specific area but produce a thick smoke that spreads throughout the property. Such smoke may contain particulate matter, aerosols, and other residues, thus emitting a bad smell. It is easy to deal with such odor by ventilating the property to remove smoke remnants. Our SERVPRO technicians use axial air movers to ventilate such property, removing the particulate-filed air and replacing it with clean outdoor air.

Placing activated oxygen units overnight

Real particles, which keep evaporating into the air, compose the invisible odor, thus resulting in the smell that reaches the nose. If the odor originates from residues on surfaces of different materials within the property, a simple procedure such as ventilating the property cannot deal with the odor effectively. Our SERVPRO technicians can use activated oxygen to deal with such odor. We set up ozone or hydroxyl generators within the affected property, at least overnight, eliminating all traces of bad odor.

Thermal fogging the structure

Some fire odor issues can persist even after a thorough cleaning and standard deodorization processes. Such persistence mostly occurs because of the deep penetration of odor molecules into materials. Any deodorizer used must be delivered deep into the affected materials to neutralize the odor molecules. Thermal fogging helps our SERVPRO crews remove such stubborn order since it mimics the smoke patterns that deposit the odor molecules initially.

Different kinds of odor problems can develop depending on how a fire incident unfolds. Call SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties at (865) 986-3015 help fix all the effects from the fire, "Like it never even happened."

More about Lenoir City.

We Put The Flames Of Worry Out In Lenoir City After A Fire

2/20/2020 (Permalink)

We removed all the ruined materials, both structural and contents, and began to neutralize the pungent odors in this property after a fire.

How Professionals Choose Appropriate Fire Damage Cleaning Products in Lenoir City

Ordinary dirt and grime in a Lenoir City home usually clear away with the application of soap, water, and some “elbow grease.” The residues left after a household fire are not as easily removed. If the homeowner uses a general cleaner and conventional techniques the soot-based soiling often smears and spreads, or remains stubbornly stuck, making the situation worse instead of better.

Residues Meet Their Match

Lenoir City fire damage residues need professional attention to ensure removal without harming surfaces. Our Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC)-trained workforce carefully matches different types of residues found in various spaces in your dwelling with the proprietary soaps, detergents, and solvents we find most effective.

Evaluation of Soot and Surface

The soot that covers the walls, ceilings, floors, and contents of your home consists of the incompletely combusted materials that provided fuel for the fire. Because those materials are different room to room, the residues left vary as well. SERVPRO reviews the consistency of the soot, characterizing it as dry and ashy, wet and sticky, or protein-based and varnish-like. We also check out the structural components covered with residues, determining how durable and able to withstand aggressive cleaning strategies those surfaces are.

Pre-Cleaning and Testing

If the residues are loose and dry, we use vacuums, dusters, and dry sponges to remove. Even in cases where the soot is more closely adhered, we employ these strategies to pre-clean. SERVPRO technicians have a good idea of the types of cleaners that help break the bond between wet or protein-based soot and surfaces, but we want to avoid unintended damage. We pre-test the soaps, detergents, or solvents on an inconspicuous area to judge the efficacy of the cleaning product and see if the solution harms the surface. Likewise, we try out degrees of agitation or temperature adaptations to see if the chosen cleaner works better or mars the surface.

Take advantage of the training and experience the fire damage restoration crews working for SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties possess. Call (865) 986-3015 to arrange for our professionals to assess your fire loss.

See more about Lenoir City.

Best Fire Debris Cleaning Practices in Lenoir City

12/2/2019 (Permalink)

Do you know how to clean fire damage? SERVPRO does. Call us today for complete fire damage remediation and restoration.

What Fire Debris Cleaning Entails for Lenoir City Homes 

Debris cleanup after a Lenoir City structure fire is often the responsibility of the property owner, though most insurance policies offer some degree of coverage for this task. Often it is easier to rely on the expertise and experience of professional restorers to oversee this cleanup and recovery, as the right tools and techniques can prevent further loss and damage to your house. 

While fire debris cleanup for Lenoir City homes might be a necessary step when disasters occur, many homeowners do not know what to expect. Professionals like our SERVPRO team must approach debris and rubbish removal from a household in phases, all of which fall under the emergency services your home requires before even full mitigation work can begin. Knowing what to expect from our team and even our in-house general contractors can showcase the importance of these tasks.

Ash and Rubble  

Some homeowners might take the term debris removal literally, and rightfully so. A significant portion of these actions involves the shoveling out and disposal of half-burned remnants of construction materials, contents that experienced a total loss, and ash. We can work quickly to remove these piles of dust, debris, and charred remains as these can continue to be a catalyst for odors and other airborne threats. A dumpster may be rented to contain the removed fire-damaged materials and contents from the home.  

Vacuuming Sediment and Residue 

Clearing off surfaces and contents in the affected areas of your home is also a vital element to the initial mitigation approach your property needs. We use dry vacuuming to address heaps of soot and smoke particles that come to rest on surfaces and materials. Dry vacuuming is one of the agitative cleaning practices that can safely reduce residues without damaging the surface beneath them. The focused removal of these threats can limit erosion of construction materials and potential marring of contents. 

Controlled Demolition and Cleaning 

Post demolition cleanup is another element to debris removal, as much of this controlled demolition must happen before our SERVPRO team can begin mitigation. We work closely with reputable contractors in the area to ensure that we can transition seamlessly between this demolition and the cleaning and restoration work yet to begin. 

Fire damages might pose a threat to your home, but our SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties team can help with effective and efficient debris removal and recovery. Contact us anytime at (865) 986-3015.

 More about Lenoir City.

Seeking Professional Assistance Reduces Anxiety after Fire Damage in Your Loudon Home

9/30/2019 (Permalink)

Your Loudon fire damage can be taken care of properly just call us.

We will handle your fire damage in Loudon.

Seeing smoke billowing out of your property or getting a call that your house is on fire can create much uncertainty. Fires have the potential to reduce your highly valued property to a pile of rubble in a matter of minutes. Luckily, fact action quells most fires before they turn catastrophic. However, that is rarely the end of problems for the affected Loudon homeowner.

It Is Easier To Save Items

Items left caked in soot, and other residues is a common outcome when fire damage affects a Loudon home. Most items are salvageable if appropriately cleaned. Fires also open up home interiors to vandalism or damage by weather elements through shattered windows or holes on the roof or walls. Professional assistance helps deal with both problems quickly, thus helping save items. Our SERVPRO teams separate contents into categories of salvageable, unsalvageable, and questionable items. If content move-out is necessary, we also create inventory worksheets indicating which items need light or heavy cleaning. We also board up the structure to protect the contents within.

The Restoration Process is Organized

Restoring property damaged by fire to its preloss state takes several activities from tearing down building material remnants, removing debris, cleaning, and drying the property among other steps. To the untrained eye, it is not easy to tell which steps to start with and how long the entire process might take, which builds up frustration. FSRT, Fire & Smoke Restoration Technician training, helps our SERVPRO team break down the process into stages and groups of tasks, simplifying its implementation. For example, we start with thorough scoping of the loss site instead of diving into restoration immediately.

The Right Equipment

When faced with a difficult task, the mere sight of sophisticated equipment can be reassuring because it indicates that every step necessary to restore your property can be accomplished. Our green trucks arrive at the loss site with a wide range of equipment including:

• Pressure washers
• Cherry pickers
• Surface scrubbing equipment
• Duct Cleaning Systems

It is normal to feel anxious after a fire incident. Call SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties to help manage the cleanup and restoration. You can reach us at (865) 986-3015. We're Faster To Any Size Disaster.

If you would like to know about Loudon, click here.

SERVPRO Recommends to Call Us to Make Your Fire-Damaged Home Whole Again

8/21/2019 (Permalink)

Loudon Property Owners Breather a Sigh of Relief When the SERVPRO Green Fleet Arrives for Cleanup and Restoration of Their Fire Damaged Homes

Fire Damage Crews in Loudon Can Cleanup and Restore Your Property

If your property in Loudon ever burns, it is wise to call in a professional restoration company such as SERVPRO. However, there are a few things that you can do to speed up the mitigation process before we arrive. Upon arrival, we begin checking your structure for any potential hazards. Since you are planning to start some of the work yourself, it is smart to avoid any safety hazards you find.

When starting to restore fire damage in Loudon, our SERVPRO team usually shuts off all of the utilities running to the house. If you think the blaze was the result of a gas leak, it is wise to shut off the gas supply running to your home. If water was used to extinguish the inferno, it is smart to shut off the electricity to prevent electrical shorts or worse. A pipe break, from the fire's heat, can add more water to the already wet areas from the first responders' extinguishing efforts.
 
Next, you can start cleaning surfaces inside your home where you notice soils and soot residues. You can remove soot residues sometimes just by simply cleaning them with a dry towel or hot, soapy water and a rag. The general rule is that you can clean hard, non-porous surfaces with soapy water and a rag. However, when cleaning softer, porous surfaces moisture can soak the soils deeper into the material, therefore using a dry towel to wipe off soot residues proves to be the better option.

Looks pretty complicated? Worried about making more of a mess than the soot and residues already have done? We advice property owners to step back, ask yourself, can "I really restore my home to its pre-fire damage condition?" Probably not, contact SERVPRO's skilled FSRT fire and smoke damage restoration technicians to make you feel, "Like it never even happened."
 
Call SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties at (865) 986-3015 for fast 24/7 service conducted by our highly trained team.

Local Fire Department Site

Our Professionals Are Here To Help When A Fire Has Damaged Your Lenoir City Apartment

7/24/2019 (Permalink)

Night or day, our professionals can keep the damage away.

What You Should Do When Fire Damage Happens Inside Your Lenoir City Apartment

No one wants to deal with fire damage inside of their home, but small fires happen more frequently than you would imagine. Living in an apartment complex can be affordable for many people seeking out a place to live. However, it can also be rather small and cramped, leading to clutter. When the candle burning on your coffee table began to get lower to the table as it burned, some papers were just a little too close and caught fire, which then spread to some nearby magazines, and then to a throw blanket.

By the time the small blaze was put out in your Lenoir City apartment, fire damage had been left behind on the wooden coffee table in your living room, as well as the carpet underneath it. The fire was easy enough to put out on your own, but the flames still left behind scorch marks, soot, and a foul smell in your living room. You might consider throwing away the table and the carpet in this situation, but it is best to call for professional help swiftly. It is possible that the items can be remediated and returned to their preloss state.

After you call SERVPRO, we can send our technicians to your home as quickly as possible, along with advanced technology made to fight fire damage. Our techs are highly trained and have gone through our Employee Certification Training Program (ECTP,) allowing them to be prepared for whatever barriers they may find inside of your home.

SERVPRO can start by removing all of the scorched remains from the fire, taking away anything unsalvageable from the scene. From there, our technicians can set up an air scrubber equipped with a HEPA filter to pull the particles from the air that are responsible for the foul scent. Afterward, SERVPRO can use cleaning solutions specially made and designed to break down soot to remove the stains from your coffee table as well as your carpet. Once finished, SERVPRO can return your living room to you as if the fire damage never happened.

When fire damage impacts your apartment, never hesitate. Reach out to SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties by calling (865) 986-3015. Night or day, our professionals can keep the damage away.

For more about Lenoir City click here.

Removing Odors from Smoke Damaged Clothing in Lenoir City Homes

5/22/2019 (Permalink)

SERVPRO can help with your personal items too.

Let SERVPRO help restore your personal belongings as well.

Soft materials and fabrics can often take much of the widespread damages after a fire in your Lenoir City residence. Removing soot residues and smoke particulates from your belongings is one of the most challenging hurdles to overcome after a disaster, but this often pales in comparison to the widespread effects of harsh odors. With fabrics like clothing, drapes, and furniture, these foul odor molecules can permeate beyond the surface and seat into the material, becoming more and more difficult to remove without immediate and deliberate action.

We have multiple strategies and advanced technology for addressing fire damage in your Lenoir City home, including the odor effects that can impact your clothing and fabrics. Our SERVPRO professionals understand the importance of responding quickly to these emergencies, so we keep our personnel and our equipment ready to roll out at a moment’s notice to fire disasters that affect our counties. As is the case with every disaster like this, we must work quickly to establish effective mitigation and containment, both of which can protect your property from further and more devastating damages.

With recovering fabrics damaged by smoke and other foul odors after a fire, cleaning is often one of the first steps that must occur. While many of your belongings can get removed as part of the pack-out process by our SERVPRO team, what remains must get cleaned with our dry-cleaning, hot water extraction, or another advanced machine. This process can help to reduce the smell in these items but rarely removes it entirely.

We focus on the use of thermal and UV foggers to penetrate damaged materials with an odorless chemical compound that neutralizes smoke odor molecules on contact. This machine is a portable unit, helping to address these same symptoms throughout the residence quickly.

Fire damages can occur in many different stages in your home, but our SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties professionals have the experience and equipment to handle each of these effects. Give us a call anytime at (865) 986-3015 to make fire loss damages “Like it never even happened.”

Want to see more on Lenoir City TN? Click here.

How to Find the Right Fire Damage Remediation Company in Kingston For Your Situation

4/14/2019 (Permalink)

Each scenario of fire damage is different and must be assessed before starting the remediation process. Call SERVPRO to come out to the scene.

Fire Damage Remediation in Kingston

In a restoration service after a fire, the typical steps are to remove charred materials and decide which items need disposal as well as what can be salvaged. Often, odors can remain much longer than the fire itself because smoke or soot is residing in tough to reach areas. After thorough deodorization using water-based sprays or thermal fogging those odors can linger causing an unpleasant reminder to the homeowner of previous events.

We know that dealing with fire damage in Kingston is as much about restoring infrastructure as it is about tackling odors. Getting a home back to preloss conditions means creating an environment that has no noticeable signs that the damage occurred at all; making it, in essence, "Like it never even happened." To provide this kind of service SERVPRO encourages our technicians to gain IICRC qualifications in smoke odor control as well as fire damage.

A stubborn odor may pass with time, but most homeowners want to get back to their every day lives with as few reminders of the fire as possible. SERVPRO can deploy thermal foggers throughout the structure of your home to ensure all odors are removed. Thermal foggers use a heating element to vaporize cleaning solvent.The advantage of this method is that the vapor behaves in much the same way as smoke meaning it enters the same ventilation points, nooks and crannies to neutralize odors.

Still, in some cases, a tricky odor can stay behind even after a fogging procedure. In fires that involve high air pressure, it is not uncommon for insulation to expand and become porous. Porous materials imbibe smoke and could be permanently damaged so we may have to remove and replace insulation in your attic or other cavities.

If an odor is still hanging around after all other options have been exhausted SERVPRO can deploy advanced Ozone generators. These machines actively alter airborne particles not only neutralizing but eliminating odor particles. Since these machines require a home to be vacated during and after use, we only deploy these when necessary. More often than not a varied approach using all or some of the above is more than enough to tackle the fire and smoke odors.

When you need to get your home back to preloss conditions, contact SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties at (865) 986-3015.

Click here for more information about the city of Kingston.

We Will Restore Your Harriman Home After A Fire Causes Significant Damage

2/12/2019 (Permalink)

Fire damage is traumatic, but we can be your top ally in making your home look “Like it never even happened.”

Fixing Fire Damage To Your Home In Harriman

Now that the weather is dreary and cold, we need to be extra vigilant of the dangers threatening our homes. Aside from concentrating on the consequences of below zero temperatures, such as frozen pipes, ice dams, and snow-covered driveways, we need to be vigilant of those materials that might ignite and incur fire damage to our homes. Something as simple as a faulty furnace or wire can be the beginning of a very traumatic experience.

Luckily, SERVPRO is here if ever your home in Harriman faces fire damage. Even as you vacate your home, our team of experts is here to guide you through the process of making your home inhabitable once again. Our support is triggered by your call, and we are ready to take action 24/7 through our rapid response team. Our team’s training and expertise help you restore your home quickly and effectively, minimizing as much as possible the collateral damage of the fire.

Frequently our clients express desperation when they see the soot damage caused by the flames. It feels like every single surface is saturated with soot, including your carpets and upholstery. Before you attempt to remove any residues, allow our SERVPRO crew to apply their industry knowledge and devise a plan suitable for each section of your home. Through training, we know that each material requires a specific substance and methodology when removing the remains of smoke and soot, and we can take the proper steps. Applying inappropriate cleaners may result in even more damage and further delay. It's best to leave this process to the professionals.

Lingering odors is also a by-product of fire damage to your home, which is why we also address the issue as part of the remediation process. Along with traditional cleaning methods, such as shampooing and disinfecting your carpets, we also apply advanced techniques to neutralize and eliminate any odors that cling to your home and furniture. Keep in mind that at SERVPRO salvage as much of your home as possible. However, when carpets and upholstery have been drenched in water for too long, or have been affected by debris, we may proceed to remove it before it becomes a health hazard.

At SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties, we are here to help. Reach out at (865) 986-3015 at any time of day, so we can rapidly come to your assistance. Fire damage is traumatic, but we can be your top ally in making your home look “Like it never even happened.”

Click here for more about Harriman.

Three Common Fire Hazards And How To Prevent Them From Destroying Your Harriman Home This Holiday Season

11/17/2018 (Permalink)

During the holidays, candle fires are four times higher than any other month.

Fire Damage In Harriman: Keep Disaster At Bay This Holiday Season

The holiday season is coming soon, and you know what that means. Holiday decorations, Christmas trees, wood burning fires, and holiday lights are likely to adorn your Harriman home. Also, family members and friends are going to gather in your home to celebrate with you. During this holiday, keeping your family, friend and home safe should be at the top of your list. At SERVPRO, we want you to enjoy the holidays like everyone else and not have your celebration interrupted by fire damage. Here are three common fire hazards and how to prevent each.

Candles
During the holidays, candle fires are four times higher than any other month. Yes, SERVPRO fire damage experts in Harriman respond fast to mitigate damage, but as a homeowner, you have a part to play. If you follow these recommendations, you will keep your family and home safe during this holiday season.

To reduce candle fires, always maintain a foot or more of space between the candles and any flammable material such as drapes. Use sturdy bases when setting candles. You can shop for these bases at the local store. If the whole family is going to step out of the room to spend time in the backyard, make sure no candle flame is left unattended.

Decorative Lights
After each holiday, families remove the decorative lights to store in a safe place until the next holiday season. While care is taken to ensure the lights are stored in a proper place, they may end up having cracked or frayed wires. If these lights are set up with frayed or cracked wires, a short circuit may occur. The sparks from the short circuit can start a fire leading to fire damage. To prevent this, stack the plugs. This is much safer especially if you have a large number of decorative lights. For the extension cords, make sure they are in good condition. During installation, use UL rated clips.

Deep Fryers
Holiday parties cannot be complete without deep fried turkey. Not only does it add a great touch to your party but it is delicious. As you already know, cooking oil is combustible, and if one does not take care when cooking, a fire can occur. Also, the vapor may ignite which poses a serious risk in your home. So, instead of a deep fryer, consider buying a deep-fried turkey from a professional service.

At SERVPRO, we want you to have a disaster-free holiday. So, if you need the help of SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties fire damage experts this holiday season, call our emergency line at (865) 986-3015. Happy Holidays from SERVPRO! The trusted leader in the restoration industry.

Click here for more about Harriman.

Restoring Soot Damage In Your Oak Ridge Home

8/9/2018 (Permalink)

Don't Toss Soot-Covered Possessions--Call SERVPRO in the Oak Ridge Area for a Fast Cleanup and Restoration

SERVPRO Technicians Can Utilize Many Pieces of Equipment and Cleaning Products to Remove Soot Residue

Apart from structural concerns or demolition, one of the hardest effects of a fire in your Oak Ridge home (aesthetically speaking) is soot damage. This film of carbon from the burning of materials spreads out widely throughout the affected areas of your home and beyond, requiring a lot of concentrated efforts to remove and restore.

Overcoming soot damages, or any fire damage effects in your Oak Ridge home for that matter, begin with finding the right restoration team. Often homeowners try to take care of portions of the cleanup and repairs on their own but fail to see that it is more cost-effective and less time-consuming to choose professional restoration services instead. Our SERVPRO technicians can respond quickly to the emergency and work efficiently to remove the effects of the fire.

The ease with which soot can get cleaned varies based on its thickness and the material affected. While much of these surfaces and materials can get restored on site using various pieces of equipment from dry/wet sponges to high-powered vacuums, other materials like fabrics and drapes can benefit from our SERVPRO technicians working along with local drycleaning to more efficiently get these materials ready for reinstallation. Esporta machine systems may be available to clean a wide variety of fabrics and soft materials at our facility.

Carpeting can also prove to be a hassle when it has gotten heavily affected by the soot damages. In these cases, concentrated cleaning efforts from bonnet cleaning to our Premier Showcase level of carpet treatment get used for bringing the fibers of this flooring back to life. Even with light or moderate soot coverage, this is a recommended approach. Often this material also requires focused deodorization to remove the smoke damage embedded into the individual fibers and the base/padding.

While soot damages are just one aspect of the effects that you might experience from a fire in your home, they are often one of the hardest for homeowners to have to see. Our SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties fire restoration technicians can help you to overcome all of the obstacles in returning your home to preloss conditions stretching well beyond the soot damage. Give us a call anytime you need us at (865) 986-3015 to make you feel "Like it never even happened."

This city is important in American History, click.