Fire restoration company: what the work covers, from board-up to rebuild
Fire losses combine burn damage with smoke, soot and the water used to put the fire out. Restoration starts with securing the structure, then removing soot residues before they etch metal and glass, then deodorising and rebuilding.
For context: FEMA has recorded 106,572 NFIP flood and water claims since 2023. NFIP covers flood losses only; this peril runs through homeowners policies instead, so no per-claim payout index exists for it here.
- 427 licensed companiesfrom official state registers
- TDLR Mold Remediation Company license file (Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation)checked 2026-08-16
- 106,572 claims indexedFEMA NFIP, updated 2026-08-16
How fire damage restoration works
- Securing and assessment. Board-up and roof tarping stop weather and intrusion damage while the loss is assessed.
- Soot and residue removal. Different residues (dry smoke, protein, synthetic) need different cleaning chemistry. The industry reference is the IICRC S700 fire and smoke damage standard.
- Water mitigation. Extinguishing water is dried with the same measured process as any water loss, because the fire crew's hose puts far more water into a structure than most burst pipes do. Moisture readings are taken at marked points and tracked daily until they reach dry standard.
- Deodorisation and rebuild. Odour is treated at the source with cleaning, sealing and air treatment, then damaged assemblies are rebuilt.
Insurance, and where fire damage removal sits in the claim
Fire is a named peril on standard homeowners policies. The claim typically covers structure, contents and additional living expenses while the home is uninhabitable. Keep the inventory of damaged contents; it drives a large share of the settlement.
Sources
Common questions
- Is smoke damage covered if the fire was next door?
- Smoke damage from a neighbouring fire is generally covered under standard homeowners policies as part of the fire peril. Document the residues and get the loss assessed quickly.
- Can smoke-damaged contents be saved?
- Often yes. Hard goods clean well; porous contents such as textiles and mattresses are assessed item by item, and heavily contaminated items are listed for replacement in the claim.
- How soon should fire and smoke damage cleanup start?
- Acidic soot residues begin etching metal, glass and finished surfaces within days, which is why cleaning is sequenced ahead of reconstruction rather than after it. Delay turns a cleanable surface into a replaceable one.
- What does smoke and fire damage restoration involve?
- Securing the structure with board-up and roof tarping, removing soot residues with cleaning chemistry matched to the residue (the industry reference is the IICRC S700 fire and smoke damage standard), drying the water used to put the fire out, then treating odour at the source and rebuilding damaged assemblies.
- Is fire and water restoration one job?
- On most fires, yes. The fire crew's hose puts far more water into a structure than most burst pipes do, so the extinguishing water is dried with the same measured process as any water loss, with readings taken at marked points daily until they reach dry standard, alongside the soot and smoke work.
- Is fire water cleanup restoration one scope or two?
- Two scopes on one claim. The water used to put the fire out is extracted and dried on a water loss timetable, and the soot and smoke work follows it, because cleaning a wet building twice is what happens when the order is reversed.
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Claims data by state
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The median paid water damage claim in the launch states was $74,948 in 2023 to 2026, across 106,572 NFIP claim records recorded in the DamageRestore HQ Claims Index (FEMA NFIP data).
Cite as: "DamageRestore HQ Claims Index", updated 2026-08-16, https://damagerestorehq.com/fire-damage-restoration/.