How Fire Damage Can Lead to Water Damage

6/28/2019 (Permalink)

If a fire affects your Johnson City, TN, office, there can potentially be expensive cleanup efforts. The flames and smoke can cause significant damage to the walls, floor, electronics and furniture of your building. There are other reasons you might require the attention of a restoration company and other professionals, but one of these might surprise you. Fires and water cleanup actually go together frequently. Be prepared to contend with the possibility of flooding after a blaze runs through your workplace.

Your Response

When a fire starts in your building, your top priority should be the safety of the entire staff. Once everyone evacuates and you've contacted the fire department, there are a few more people you need to get in touch with to ensure thorough cleanup and rebuilding. Make sure you immediately call the following people:

• Your insurance agent
• A fire cleanup company
• A flood remediation team

Firefighters' Actions

The fire department has one major objective: Get the fire under control to keep it from spreading and causing additional damage and harm. The firefighters may use a large amount of water to put out the flames. Though they may be successful, the volume of moisture they spray from the hoses could ruin carpet, drywall, and various supplies and equipment. This could require water cleanup from experienced flood remediation specialists.

Damage From Sprinklers

Your building is likely equipped with sprinklers in the ceiling. These will go off when smoke is detected in the area. Though the sprinklers can do an effective job of battling the fire and even prevent the need for smoke cleanup, they could also flood your office space. It's important to consult with restoration experts so you can minimize the damage and get your office back to its pre-disaster state.
Water cleanup doesn't just occur with pipe leaks or sewer problems. Be prepared to face both the effects of smoke and fire damage as well as the excess water you may find in the building.