Smoke & Fire Damage FAQ

Questions we hear most often after a fire, answered plainly. For emergencies, call (208) 254-2053 , the phone line is answered 24/7.

What happens in the first hours after a fire?

Once the fire department releases the property, the building is usually unsafe and unsecured. The immediate concerns are access, security, and stopping secondary damage. Firefighting water soaks structures and starts the same clock a burst pipe would. Soot keeps reacting with surfaces. Broken windows and openings let weather and animals in.

So the early work is assessment, securing openings where that is within scope, and beginning water extraction and drying if the property was hosed down. We document conditions as we find them, before anything is moved or cleaned, because that record is what your carrier’s adjuster will review later.

Can smoke odor be removed completely?

Sometimes, and sometimes not: it depends on what burned, how long smoke sat, how far it traveled, and what materials absorbed it. Protein fires from cooking behave differently than a structure fire or a burned synthetic. Porous materials such as carpet pad, upholstery, insulation, and unfinished wood hold odor much harder than sealed or hard surfaces.

Our approach is to remove the source material where removal is the right answer, clean what can be cleaned, address HVAC pathways that spread smoke through the house, and treat remaining surfaces. What we will not do is promise a finish date or guarantee that every trace of odor disappears. Anyone who guarantees that up front is guessing.

Do I have to move out during fire restoration?

Often yes, at least for part of the work, but it depends on the extent of the damage, whether utilities are safe and functioning, air quality, and whether the work area can be isolated from living space. That call involves your own judgment, sometimes your local building official, and sometimes your carrier, since additional living expense coverage may be part of your policy.

We will tell you honestly what the work will involve and which areas will be unusable. Whether your policy pays for somewhere else to stay is a coverage question for your carrier, not something we decide or promise.

What about soot on walls, contents, and the HVAC system?

Soot migrates. It follows air movement, which means it commonly ends up in rooms that never saw flame, and it settles inside ductwork that then redistributes it every time the system runs. That is why we look beyond the obvious fire area.

Different soot needs different handling, dry smoke residue, wet smoke residue, and protein residue all respond to different methods, and using the wrong one can drive residue deeper into a surface or permanently stain it. Contents are evaluated item by item for whether cleaning is realistic. We document what we determine is not salvageable and why, so there is a record supporting it rather than an unexplained disposal.

Will my insurance cover fire and smoke damage?

Fire is one of the more commonly covered perils on a standard homeowners policy, but every policy is different and the details matter, deductibles, limits, contents coverage, additional living expense, and any exclusions specific to your policy.

ACOR does not decide coverage and does not guarantee that your claim will be approved or paid. Open a claim with your carrier when you are ready. We will document the loss and the work so their staff adjuster has what they need to evaluate it.

Can you secure or board up the property?

Board-up and securing openings are standard parts of post-fire emergency work, and stopping weather and intrusion is usually in everyone’s interest, including your carrier’s, because it limits further loss. Call (208) 254-2053 and we will tell you what we can do at your property and when.

How do you decide whether something gets cleaned or replaced?

By whether cleaning it will actually work and whether that is the reasonable path for that material. Sealed, hard, non-porous surfaces clean up well. Saturated porous materials that hold odor and residue often do not, and cleaning them repeatedly costs more than replacing them while producing a worse result.

We document the condition, the method we recommend, and the reasoning, in a format your carrier’s adjuster can review. The carrier makes its own determination about what the policy pays for.

Are you public adjusters?

No. ACOR Restoration Services LLC is a licensed contractor. We have licensed independent adjusters on staff to support documentation and coordination with your carrier’s staff adjuster. We do not negotiate coverage or settlements, and we are not public adjusters.

Related: Restoration & Reconstruction FAQ for the rebuild phase, and Insurance Claim Assistance FAQ for how documentation works.