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Fire & Water - Cleanup & Restoration

The Nature of Smoke and Soot Dictate Clean Up Practices After St. Petersburg Fire Damage

3/3/2021 (Permalink)

Professionals Who Mitigate Fire Damage in St. Petersburg Describe the Different Types of Smoke

Suppose you ever suffer from a structural blaze inside your St. Petersburg / Pinellas Park home. In that case, it is always smart to contact a professional restoration company such as SERVPRO of Central St. Petersburg / Pinellas Park immediately. Our fire damage restoration crews know the best techniques to refinish and restore burnt and soiled items to prevent replacement. When dealing with burnt materials, smoke, which consists of partially combusted particles, can add to the extent of your problems. 

When mitigating any fire damage in St. Petersburg, our SERVPRO technicians know to use different chemicals and techniques when removing residues left behind by various smoke types. In most situations, smoke, and the soils it leaves behind can be classified into one of the following four categories or a combination. Knowing what type of smoke was present, we can pick the best method to remove soot residues on the various surfaces of your building materials and contents. 

1. Dry Smoke

Most fires go through stages of creating both wet and dry smoke. However, usually, fires will have more of one type than the other. Dry smoke gets created by fast-burning, oxygen-rich burns. Dry smoke is also usually created when organic materials like wood, paper, or natural fabrics burn.

2. Wet Smoke

Whether a fire produces a majority of wet or dry smoke depends on the amount of oxygen present, the combustion rate, and the type of substance that is burning. When the fire is starved by oxygen and burns at a lower temperature, it produces wet smoke. Wet smoke is also created when synthetic materials such as rubber or plastic burn. Wet smoke usually adheres stronger to most surfaces and is difficult to remove and clean. 

3. Protein Residues

Protein residues can be found any time products such as meat, poultry, or fish burn. When a fire starts inside your kitchen, there is a good chance that protein residues can exist. These residues leave behind a yellow or amber discoloration, but they can sometimes be clear and hard to see on a surface. Protein residues leave behind strong odors making deodorization the biggest issue when dealing with them. 

4. Fuel Oil Soots

Furnace puff-backs can create fuel oil residues that consist of dust particles from the ventilation system and fuel oils that did not burn all the way. This type of soot usually has a gray or black color and can consist of large or small particles. Often, the electrically charged ions form spiderweb-like formations in corners that can smear readily if not vacuumed and sponged off correctly.

If a fire ever ignites inside your St. Petersburg home, it is wise to contact SERVPRO of Central St. Petersburg / Pinellas Park at (727) 521-2562.

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