Same-Day Stabilization
Board-up, roof tarping, and temporary fencing go in immediately so weather, animals, and theft do not add a second loss on top of the first. Documented and photographed for the adjuster before anything is touched.
Post-Fire Stabilization & Cleanup
Fire & Smoke Damage Cleanup
The fire is out. Now the clock starts on soot, corrosion, and the water the department left behind.
TRUSTED BY HOMES & BUSINESSES ACROSS SAN DIEGO COUNTY
Overview
Post-fire stabilization, soot removal, corrosion control, and suppression-water drying.
Most of what a fire costs you happens after it is out. Soot is acidic and it keeps eating metal, glass, and finishes every hour it sits. The thousands of gallons the fire department put through your home are now a Category 2 water loss with a deadline of its own.
What It Costs
Fire losses are the widest-ranging job type in restoration. A contained kitchen fire with smoke migration is a different order of magnitude than a structural fire with partial collapse. The cost drivers are the affected square footage, residue type and severity, how much material has to be removed, the days of drying and air scrubbing required, and the contents volume.
Nearly all fire losses are insured, and the practical number that matters to you is your deductible plus anything the policy does not cover. We write the scope in Xactimate and bill the carrier directly.
The Two Clocks
Soot corrodes and water grows mold, and both start the minute the fire is out. These are the two reasons fire restoration is an emergency service rather than a scheduling exercise. Within 48 hours, acidic residue permanently pits chrome and etches glass. Within 72 hours, standing suppression water in a warm structure begins microbial growth.
A crew that shows up on day one and stabilizes both clocks saves a meaningful fraction of the total loss. It is the highest-leverage thing that happens in the entire project.
Get Help Now
Fire department just cleared? Call True Core. Same-day stabilization, board-up, corrosion control, suppression-water drying, and a documented handoff to your rebuild contractor.
Scope of Work
What's In Every Fire & Smoke Damage Cleanup Call
Corrosion Control Within The First 48 Hours
Soot residue is acidic. Left alone it permanently pits chrome, etches glass, and corrodes electrical contacts and appliance components. Early treatment saves fixtures and hardware that otherwise become line items on the rebuild.
The Fire Department's Water Handled As A Water Loss
Suppression water is a real Category 2 loss and it is the most commonly neglected part of a fire job. We extract and dry it on the same documented schedule as any water claim, so you do not get mold on top of fire damage.
Soot Removal Matched To The Residue Type
Protein, wet smoke, dry smoke, and fuel oil residues each need a different approach. Using the wrong method drives soot deeper into porous surfaces and permanently sets the staining.
No Rebuild Incentive, So No Over-Demo
We do not sell reconstruction. A company that profits from the rebuild has a quiet reason to remove more of your house than the job requires. We take out what has to come out and document why, then hand the file to whoever you choose to rebuild.
How It Works
Our Step-By-Step Process
- Step 1
Emergency Response And Stabilization
We can be on site the same day the department clears, often within hours. First priority is making the structure safe and secure: assessing whether any part is structurally compromised, boarding openings, tarping the roof, and fencing if needed. Nothing gets moved or cleaned before it is photographed. If the utilities were shut off we coordinate on what can safely be restored, because power matters for running equipment and heat matters for drying. Do not enter the structure to retrieve belongings before we have assessed it, fire-weakened framing fails without warning.
- Step 2
Assessment, Documentation, And Scope
We walk the entire structure, including areas the fire never reached, because smoke travels through wall cavities and HVAC and deposits residue in rooms that look untouched. We identify the residue type from the fuel source, map the smoke migration, take moisture readings on everything the suppression water reached, and document all of it in photographs and in an Xactimate estimate. This is also where we tell you honestly which contents are salvageable. Expect several hours on a whole-home loss, and expect us to walk it with you.
- Step 3
Water Extraction And Drying
Suppression water gets extracted and the structure gets dried with the same monitored process as any water loss: calculated air movers and LGR dehumidifiers, daily moisture readings against dry standard, documented to closeout. This runs concurrently with early soot work because both are on a clock. Skipping it is the most common way a fire loss turns into a mold claim two months later, and it is the reason we treat the water as its own scope rather than an afterthought.
- Step 4
Soot Removal, Corrosion Control, And Deodorization
Residue removal is matched to what burned. Dry smoke from a fast, hot fire gets dry-sponged and HEPA vacuumed. Wet smoke from a smoldering fire is sticky and needs solvent cleaning. Protein residue from a kitchen fire is nearly invisible and viciously odorous, requiring enzymatic treatment. Metals get corrosion inhibitor early. Then deodorization: HEPA and carbon air scrubbing, thermal fogging to reach where smoke reached, hydroxyl or ozone treatment on sealed areas, and full HVAC cleaning. Odor that survives cleaning means residue was missed, so we chase it rather than mask it.
- Step 5
Contents And Handoff
Salvageable contents get inventoried, photographed, packed out, cleaned in our facility using ultrasonic and specialized methods, and stored until the structure is ready. Non-salvageable items get itemized for your claim. When the structure is clean, dry, and deodorized, we walk it with you and hand over the complete package: moisture logs, the written removal scope, the photo record, and the Xactimate estimate. Your general contractor rebuilds from that file. We do not perform reconstruction, and we take nothing if you use a contractor we referred.
24/7 Emergency Response
Ready For Fire & Smoke Damage Cleanup?
Call now for 24/7 emergency response across San Diego County. IICRC-certified crews, insurance billed direct.
FAQs
About Fire & Smoke Damage Cleanup
-
Immediately, ideally the same day the fire department clears. Soot is actively corroding metals and setting into porous surfaces from hour one, and the suppression water is starting a water loss on its own clock. The difference between calling day one and calling day four is frequently the difference between cleaning fixtures and replacing them.
-
Not until the structure has been assessed. Fire compromises framing in ways that are not visible, and floors above a fire-damaged area are the specific hazard. Once we have assessed it, we can escort you in for essential documents and medication. Wear a respirator, soot is not something to breathe.
-
No, if the job is done fully. Persistent smoke odor almost always means residue is still somewhere: inside a wall cavity, in the HVAC ducts, in the attic insulation, or in contents that were cleaned superficially. Odor is a symptom of remaining source material. We find and remove the source rather than fogging over it.
-
More than people expect. Hard goods, most furniture, dishes, and many electronics clean up well with the right methods. Textiles usually clean successfully. What generally does not survive: heavily charred porous items, mattresses and upholstery with heavy smoke saturation, food, and cosmetics or medications exposed to heat or smoke. We inventory both categories, so what you lost is documented for your claim.
-
We write the mitigation estimate in Xactimate, the same platform your carrier prices from, document everything photographically, bill the carrier directly, and handle supplements when hidden damage emerges during demo. We work with your adjuster daily on a fire loss. What we do not do is represent you in a coverage dispute, that is what a public adjuster or attorney is for, and we will say so if a claim heads that direction.
-
Our part, the stabilization, soot removal, drying, and deodorization, is usually one to three weeks depending on severity. The reconstruction that follows is the long pole and is handled by your general contractor, running anywhere from a month on a contained kitchen fire to many months on a substantial structural fire. We give you a schedule for our scope after the assessment.
Related Services
You Might Also Need
Contents Pack-Out & Storage
Inventoried, photographed, cleaned, and stored in a climate-controlled facility until repairs finish.
Learn more
Emergency Board-Up & Tarping
Secured within hours. Windows, doors, roofs. Photographed and documented for the adjuster.
Learn more
Smoke & Odor Removal
Hydroxyl and ozone treatment, thermal fogging, HVAC cleaning. Odor gone, not masked.
Learn more 24/7 Emergency Restoration
Don't Wait. Call Now.
Open 24/7 - Emergency Dispatch