Understanding How Fuel/Oil Residue Can Affect Your Home After A Fire in the Rose Hill/Fort Hunt Area

6/10/2021 (Permalink)

A house fire is one of the hardest things to plan for. The devastation of a fire is always overwhelming, and the aftermath can leave a homeowner numb. This is because, in addition to direct damage from flame exposure, many pieces of furniture and household belongings can sustain serious smoke damage often times making it feel like the fire took everything. In this article we'll explore how a very specific type of smoke damage can affect your home and belongings after a fire and how you can hope to salvage them.

Fuel/Oil Residue

Fuel/oil residue, also known as petroleum residue is a little more common in commercial building fires than in residential (because residences typically don't store petroleum based products), however,it’s common for a building’s furnace to have a “puffback” where it doesn’t ignite properly and releases soot and smoke into the surrounding space in the form of a small leak or even minor explosion.

This means you can be dealing with fuel residue smoke damage even when there hasn’t been a fire!

Petroleum residue is difficult to clean because it's dense, sticky and has a strong odor that can seep deeply into upholstery.

This means if any of your belongings were exposed to a petroleum based fire it is going to be almost impossible to get them properly cleaned without attention from a fire and smoke damage restoration specialist (like the ones at SERVPRO of Rose Hill/Fort Hunt.)

If any of your belongings were exposed to a house or commercial building fire give SERVPRO of Rose Hill/Fort Hunt a call at (703) 665-7420 today. We handle all our clients quickly, professionally and with the highest quality of customer service!