Fire Damage Cleanup- Portsmouth, NH

Twelve years in property management in the Portsmouth area and the director had never seen a disaster like this before. What started as a small kitchen fire resulted in extensive property damage which affected fifteen of his building’s eighteen apartment units with fire, soot, smoke, and water damage. The fire damage cleanup was well underway, but he was still in awe of the magnitude of the undertaking. Carefully walking the hallways with the Soil-Away project manager, they went unit to unit checking on the progress of the fire restoration.
Fortunately for the managing director, no occupants were physically hurt in the fire disaster. He could not say the same for the historic Portsmouth building itself. The property director and Soil-Away project manager had just reviewed the top floor of the structure. This is where the kitchen fire had started. Soil-Away fire damage cleanup crews had already gutted the source unit and the two abutting apartments. Most of the contents had to be disposed of. The cabinets and appliances were removed. The remaining ceilings, walls and floors were cut down, bag, and tossed into the 30-yard dumpsters parked outside. Utilities such as plumbing and electrical had to be shut down as well. This was not the pristine apartment building he was used to managing. As the two walked down to the second floor, the director expressed his gratitude for the quick response of the Soil-Away emergency fire mitigation crews. He also commented on how the smoke odor has drastically been reduced.
The second and first floors primarily sustained water damage. The soot and smoke damage seemed to be isolated to the top floor. However, the combination of the building’s sprinkler system and the fire departments put a lot of water into the structure. Many of the apartments had caved in ceilings along with soaking wet walls and floors. Just yesterday, Soil-Away fire restoration technicians finished working with the Portsmouth residents to inventory and pack-out their belongings. Today crews focused on the water damage mitigation. Like upstairs, much of the ceilings, walls, and floors had to be removed, bagged, and disposed of. Outside generators roared as they powered dehumidifiers, HEPA air scrubbers, and air movers. The fire and water damage was cleaning up nicely.
The fire had just happened three days ago. The managing director could not believe the progress of the fire damage cleanup effort. The Soil-Away project manager expressed that the Portsmouth structure would be completely cleaned, deodorized, and dry by the weekend. This was four days ahead of the originally projected schedule. The two shook hands and parted ways. The Soil-Away project manager returned to work in the fire damaged building. The managing director for the property went back to his office to update his superiors on the progress and encouraging news.