Types of Smoke Damage

Smoke and soot can travel and penetrate into other rooms affecting paint, carpet, upholstery, drapes, clothing and any other family belongings. Fires are classified into two groups, simple and complex:

Simple fires are fueled by pure fuels, like wood, and generally result in complete combustion and easy target to start a fire.

Complex fires, the most common house fires, are fuels by synthetic materials in carpets, furniture, toys, wiring, etc. and generally result in incomplete combustion and the products of soot’s and acid deposits.

In addition, smoke can be caustic in nature, and requires prompt removal to minimize damages to fabrics, ferrous metals, electronic devices, chrome and painted surfaces.

Types of Smoke Residues

Once at a fire scene, a Faithful Disaster Restoration certified technician will test the soot to determine which type of smoke damage occurred. Cleaning procedures will be based on the information identified during fire damage pretesting.

• Wet Smoke Residues – Result from smoldering fires with low heat. Residues are sticky, smeary with pungent odors.  Smoke webs can be difficult to clean.
• Dry Smoke Residues – Result from fast burning fires at high temperatures. Residues are often dry, powdery, small, nonsmeary smoke particles.
• Protein Residues – Virtually invisible residues that discolor paints and varnishes.  Extreme pungent odor.
• Fuel Oil Soot – Furnace puff backs distribute fuel oil soot.
• Other Types of Residues – Tear gas, fingerprint powder, and fire extinguisher residues also need cleanup.