Ceiling Vent Leads to Fire and Water Damage

3/20/2021 (Permalink)

Water damage often happens during a Fire.

A Decorah home received fire and water damage after a ceiling exhaust fan inside the laundry room caught on fire. Some reasons why an exhaust/bathroom fan may catch fire is faulty wiring or it may be clogged with dust or dirt, overheating it. This particular fire was fortunately contained inside the laundry room, although smoke did reach nearby rooms. The fire was put out by water which affected the ceiling and insulation.

SERVPRO AVAILABLE 24/7

This fire occurred on a Saturday. Although SERVPRO is available 24/7 for Emergency Services, the homeowner did decide that they would wait till Monday to call a professional to help with cleaning and smoke removal.  Monday morning, we received the call! She explained the situation and shared what areas probably needed focused cleanings. The garage, laundry room, and nearby hallway had a very strong smoke odor.

By the afternoon, our project manager, Sam Whitehead, met with the homeowner to inspect the damage and come up with a plan of action. After a visual inspection, he briefed the homeowner on a course of action to restore her home. This included:

• Cleaning debris in the laundry room.
• Removing affected insulation from the attic.
• Cleaning and removing soot from the garage, laundry room, and living room.
• Drying the wet ceiling in the laundry room and dining room.
• Setting up an air scrubber to help with removing the smoke odor.

The homeowner approves the work!

The next day, our production technicians arrived at the home with the equipment to start cleaning, drying, and restoring. They removed wet insulation from the attic and placed air movers pointed upward at the ceiling so it would dry quicker. They dry sponged the walls and ceilings of the affected rooms to remove the soot. Electricians were scheduled to come in the next day so our team focused on removing all the debris from around the washer and dryer and swept the floor from the laundry room. An air scrubber was set up inside the laundry room to tackle the smoke odor.

The following days consisted of:

• Washing the walls, trim, and light fixtures.
• Putting the laundry in a bag for the homeowners.
• Sweeping and mopping the floors.
• Wiping soot and dust from every crevice and every item located in the affected rooms.
• Cleaning the garage floors with power washing equipment.
• Cleaning the tile grout in the laundry room.

We completed the work within 4 days!

We are proud to be a team of quality people who focus on excellent service, fairness, and mutual respect. If you need help with premier cleaning and restoration, trust SERVPRO! Give us a call at (563) 277-1615.