Why a Fire Loss Call May Turn Into a Water Damage Claim

8/26/2022 (Permalink)

Fire loss may turn into water damage

While it may seem obvious when we get a fire loss claim that there will be typical signs of fire damage, burnt materials, soot, and smoke residue everywhere, you might be surprised to learn that we usually find water damage in these instances too. Whether it is a big or small fire, water damage can often come with it, creating an even larger mess and problem to clean up. 

Almost all commercial buildings today have a built-in fire suppression system, like overhead sprinklers. When there is a fire, these sprinklers extinguish the blaze, but in doing so, flood the property with hundreds or thousands of gallons of water. While hopefully these sprinklers prevent further fire damage, they leave behind a different problem, in the form of water damage. While the sprinklers prevent further damage and protect anyone in the building, the water needs to be cleaned immediately. The sprinkler water is clean, coming straight from the water main and therefore can cause minimal harm if extracted immediately, as opposed to dirty water which can leave behind germs and harmful bacteria. 

In residential properties, while there may be no built-in sprinklers fire fighters often create water damage when extinguishing blazes. Using high powered hoses, modern fire fighters can pump hundreds of gallons of water into a home, leaving behind a wet mess in addition to whatever fire damage happened. 

Water damage is far less deadly, and dirty, when compared with a large fire loss and can be mitigated faster as well. While we hope all fires can be put out quickly, whenever we get a call about fire loss, we come prepared for water damage as well.