Fire Loss: The First 48 Hours

Property owners, facility managers, and general contractors

Soot is acidic. What happens in the first two days determines whether metals, electronics, and finishes are cleanable or replaceable. This is the order of operations that protects the building and the claim.

980-355-2189

Hour 0-6 — Safety and access

Do not re-enter until the fire department releases the structure
Confirm utilities are secured; assume electrical systems are compromised until verified
Board up, tarp, and secure openings to prevent weather and secondary intrusion
Notify the carrier and open the claim; get the adjuster assigned

Hour 6-24 — Corrosion control and documentation

Photograph everything before anything is moved or cleaned
Prioritize soot removal from bare metals, electronics, and control panels — corrosion starts immediately
Stabilize temperature and humidity to slow residue reactivity
Inventory contents by room; separate obviously non-salvageable items but do not discard yet

Hour 24-48 — Sequencing decisions

Walk the salvage line with the adjuster: what is cleanable structure versus demo
Confirm whether water was introduced during suppression; if so, structural drying comes first
Do not seal, paint, or deodorize anything before residue is physically removed
Scope the residue removal method by substrate, not one method for the whole building
Set the containment plan for occupied or adjacent tenant spaces

Ongoing — Avoid these mistakes

Sealing over soot: odor returns when the sealer ages or is disturbed
Wet cleaning a structure that took suppression water and is still drying
Media blasting soft brick or historic timber without a documented test panel
Discarding contents before the adjuster has documented them
Rebuilding before an odor verification walk on cleaned structure

General guidance only. Follow all fire department, insurer, and local authority instructions for your specific loss. — REDI, Restoration & Environmental Dry Ice. 980-355-2189 · Sales@Redi-co.com · redi-co.com