Difference in A Residential Fire vs. Commercial Fire

3/24/2021 (Permalink)

Each year in the United States, fire damage costs property owners and the economy as a whole nearly half a trillion dollars. This easily places fire damage as the number-one cause of property damage.

Fire damage is often an extremely complex tragedy. Soot damage, smoke damage and flood damage from fire sprinkler systems are all completely unique forms of damage, only correctly remediated through highly specialized techniques of restoration professionals. The biggest issue associated with fire damage is the compromising of the structure.

What's more, fires that occur in commercial settings often involve the loss of inventory and capital equipment, while cutting in to work production time. This makes commercial fire damage one of the most serious potential disasters that face business owners.

Fortunately, there are professional companies, such as SERVPRO OF Lynnwood who specialize in the restoration of both residential and commercial fire damage. Although residential and commercial fire damage often poses a huge challenge to property owners, with the right team of experts, it can typically be resolved by following a smooth and streamlined process. Always call in a professional restoration company such as SERVPRO of Lynnwood.

Although many homeowners pride themselves on their ability to perform handy work in their own homes, it is absolutely imperative to call in a team of professionals who are well versed in remediation and working with the insurance companies. If not handled properly and in a timely fashion, soot damage and smoke damage can easily cause the failure of mechanical devices in the home or business, such as furnaces, fans and air conditioners. Smoke damage can linger, not just for months but for years, causing a pungent odor that can make a property uninhabitable.

Water damage caused by fire hoses and firefighters carrying out their normal fire suppression activities can easily result in extensive damage to the property. In fact, with modern fire suppression techniques, the most serious source of damage in fires is often caused by the water dispelled during the fire suppression itself. On top of this, fire hoses are designed to spray at incredibly high pressures, often high enough to directly cause structural damage to the building.

Professional fire restoration companies can minimize the costs associated with residential or commercial fire damage and quickly begin the fire restoration process. Most large fires in the United States are electrical fires or utility room fires. Fires in residences, such as kitchen fires, are usually quickly detected and thus extinguished early. On the other hand, electrical fires and utility room fires often begin in remote locations within the property, leading to the fire quickly growing and creating massive soot damage and smoke damage, even where structural damage has not occurred.

When lives are at stake firefighters may use techniques that significantly damage property to save people who could be trapped inside. These fires also often require aggressive action from firefighters. Fire trucks, capable of producing burst pressures of greater than 1,200 psi in fire hoses, can easily produce enough water pressure to break drywall, knock down doors and even rip siding off a structure. In a fire emergency, fire trucks may also cause extensive damage to the exterior of a property, including landscaping and the lawn. These are all areas that a professional fire restoration team will be able to quickly remediate, in addition to soot damage.


Ultimately, with a timely response, a residential fire or commercial fire doesn't have to spell doom for your home or business. Visit http://www.SERVPROlynnwood.com for more information on fire damage or call us at 425-774-1148.