Almost every fire that was fought leaves a water loss behind it, and on a lot of residential fires the water reaches more of the building than the flames did. Treating them as one job in the wrong order is the most common way a fire claim becomes a mold claim.
Water first, because it has a deadline
Suppression water is extracted and the structure dried on the same schedule as any water loss, because mold does not wait for the fire investigation. The EPA puts visible growth on wet building materials within 24-48 hours, which means the drying clock starts before anyone has decided anything about the fire. Crews routinely set drying equipment the same night.
Smoke damage cleaning waits, and that is correct
Cleaning soot from a wet surface is worse than useless: wetting the residue drives it into the substrate, and cleaning a room that is about to have its drywall cut out is wasted labour. So the sequence is stabilise, extract, dry, then clean. A firm that starts wiping walls on night one is doing the visible thing rather than the useful one.
Fire smoke water damage restoration: they interact in the walls
Wet insulation holds smoke odour far more stubbornly than dry insulation, and a cavity that was both smoked and soaked is the classic source of a smell that comes back after everything else is finished. That is why insulation in affected cavities usually comes out on a combined loss even where the drywall could have been saved.
Fire and water damage recovery: one scope, one record
Both halves belong in one scope with one moisture map and one set of dry readings, even if two crews do the work. Where the fire and the water are documented separately the two records disagree, and on an insured loss the disagreement is resolved in favour of whoever has the better evidence, which is not usually the householder.
Questions people ask about fire and water damage
Why is there water damage after fire suppression?
Because the fire was put out. Suppression water, sometimes thousands of gallons, goes into the structure and runs down through floors. On many residential fires the water reaches more of the building than the flames did.
Which is dealt with first, the fire or the water?
The water, because it has a deadline that the soot does not. Extraction and drying start immediately; soot cleaning and odour work follow once the structure is dry, which is also when cleaning actually works properly.
Does one firm handle fire and water damage restoration?
Usually yes, since the trades overlap and the record needs to be one record. Where two firms are involved, insist on one moisture map and one set of dry readings, otherwise the two halves will disagree exactly when it matters.
Why does the smell come back after the work is finished?
Nearly always because something absorbent was left in place, and on a combined loss the usual candidate is insulation in a cavity that was both smoked and soaked. The fix is finding it, not running more deodorising equipment.
What happens to water damage walls after a fire?
They are treated as a water loss first. Suppression water sits in the cavity behind the board, and drying it is what stops the smoke work being done twice, so the wall is dried and measured before anything is cleaned or closed in.