Fire and Smoke FAQs

What do I do now that my property just suffered fire and/or smoke damage?

Call (480) 256-1453 (Phoenix), or (520) 771-8268 (Tucson) and tell us about your damage. We will send out our team and estimator immediately to begin the process of getting your property back to its pre-fire condition. From there, we will salvage and inventory what property and items we can as we begin drying, cleaning and restoring your property.

While all restoration projects are unique based on the extent of the damage, structures and property, the general restoration process is similar in most fire and some restorations. RestorationHQ will walk you through each step right here.

Yes, our crew will use delicate, yet powerful, equipment and non-toxic chemicals to clean and deodorize your property and items. Here’s how we will restore your items:

    • Structure decontamination involves several steps, beginning with a thorough cleaning and disinfecting that goes deep into the material to remove damage and odor. Burned or seared materials will be wire brushed and sanded down. If materials cannot be cleaned or restored, they will be removed and replaced. We will use a thermal fogging chemical to deodorize the structure and destroy any latent malodors. After the deodorization is complete, we will encapsulate the structure for further protection.
    • All soft materials will be treated for smoke odor. Some treatments may be as simple as getting those items dry cleaned or laundered. In a situation when the items cannot be cleaned they will recommend for replacement and cataloged accordingly.
    • Hard contents are thoroughly wiped down to remove deposits and fragments before being treated and deodorized.

Our first priority is to restore as many items and as much content as possible, but often not everything is salvageable. RestorationHQ will inventory all non-salvageable and damaged items and work closely with your insurance company to claim those items.

Don’t dispose of anything until we can get there to take inventory and assess the damage. The loss adjuster must see all items before they are thrown away, even if they appear too damaged to restore.

Please let us know about anything that has particular value or requires special care and attention. The loss adjuster should also be made aware of those items. We will store those items until the claim’s value has been determined.

We ask that the premise be vacated until we are finished with the work. We don’t use toxic chemicals in our clean up; however, the equipment and supplies can be irritating to some people.

Our claims are processed and sent directly to your insurance adjuster via Insurance Industry Standardized software program (Xactimate). The insurance adjuster will then approve the repair estimate and send the payment directly to you (less the deductible).

RestorationHQ always provides fair and competitive estimates, and insurance companies trust us to properly quote and perform the repair work from start to finish. Therefore, you do not need to get multiple estimates—your insurance provider will not require it.

There are only a few people involved in your restoration:

    • RestorationHQ: the team that will quickly and accurately restore your property
    • Your insurance adjuster: the individual assigned to work with you to approve and pay for the repairs based on your insurance policy