Water Damage After a Fire

With a house fire, fire and water damage go hand in hand, both are equally dangerous. While fire destroys the structure of your home making it unstable and highly unsafe, water damage will deteriorate the structure with harmful mold and mildew. After a house fire, you should avoid entering your home until a professional can come inspect it for safety. It is important that you take precautions and always call a profession restoration company to deal with fire and water damage cleanup and restoration. Even if you feel that you fully understand the dangers of fire and water damage, a professional needs to check your house for hazards and safety risks.

The most important thing to keep in mind with fire damage is that the most toxic part of the fire is not the fire itself, it's the smoke it emits. Smoke contains highly toxic materials that could act as a irritant or a disabling drug, depending on what type of smoke. It would not be hard for a fire to fill your house with flames within a few minutes while it destroys all your possessions leaving a pungent smoke smell that is extremely difficult to remove. In a house fire, smoke travels through your plumbing and pipes, dispersing all throughout your house.

When the firemen are extinguishing the fire, the water pressure of their hoses is so strong it ends up leaving water damage. Water damage is similar to fire damage in the sense that it destroys your home's structure but instead of destroying the home on surface, as fire does, water damage rots away the inside first. The biggest danger of water damage is mold and mildew growth, which can lead to severe health risks and problems. Water damaged property is a breeding ground for these growths because mold and mildew thrive on damp, humid conditions. It's crucial to your health that a professional comes to dry up the excess moisture in your house because inhaling large amounts of mold or mildew could lead to immune disorders, cancer and other pathogenic diseases.

When combined together, fire and water damage can completely destroy your home. While both types of damage present separate dangers, they are incredibly hazardous and harmful and you need to do everything possible to prevent them from occurring. After a house fire, make sure contact a professional restoration company before reentering your house.