4 Major Ways Fire Damage Affects Your Home

House fires are one of the most stressful and impactful home disasters to experience. They are not only incredibly destructive, but they can also be incredibly emotional and traumatic. 

A house fire can happen to anyone, even if you have smoke alarms, & have a family emergency plan in action, and do everything in your power to prevent one from happening. 

Over 350,000 house fires occur across the United States every year. No matter the size of a house fire, it can be overwhelming for a family to deal with. Regardless, recovering completely from a house fire is always necessary to help protect the health and safety of everyone under your roof. 

Let’s explore how fire damage affects your home and what you should do in the aftermath of a house fire below. 

How Fast Do House Fires Spread?

One thing is certain when it comes to house fires: fire is fast. A single spark from a candle or a faulty electrical cord can flare up, causing a fire to start in seconds. Within one minute of a fire starting, an entire room can fill with smoke. After two minutes, the entire room can become engulfed in flames. After five minutes, the entire home can become compromised, making escape dangerous and more complicated. 

This is why it is so important to have working smoke alarms and a fire safety plan in place. Knowing what to do before, during and after a house fire can help save lives while also maintaining a little order to the chaos.

Be sure your family understands every possible exit in your home by practicing fire escape scenarios regularly, and choose a meeting location outside of your home that is easily accessible by your entire family. 

If you do suffer from a house fire, it’s important that you call the authorities immediately to help extinguish the flames. Once the fire is extinguished, it may be time to call a reputable fire damage restoration company, which is essential for a full recovery.

1. Structural Damage Caused By A Fire

You might think that recovering from a house fire is simply putting out the flames and cleaning up the soot. While that is definitely necessary, fire can cause serious damage in just a few minutes. Once a fire starts, it will begin to consume anything flammable in its path. 

That includes your home decor and non-essential items, but it also includes important structural components of your home, like your drywall and wood framing. Your home will quickly become fuel to a fire and will become burned or charred through in seconds. 

After the fire is out, the damage is likely far more complicated than the simple surface damage on your walls and ceiling. Extensive damage might be lingering behind your drywall or under your floors, which can compromise the safety of your entire property as you move around your home. Burned floor joists can lead to collapsed areas of your home, and walls can crumble or deteriorate over time without the proper attention and restoration. 

2. Electrical and Plumbing Damage Caused By The Fire

Fire damage goes further than just structural damage as well. Even if your walls and floors look to be in decent shape after a minor fire, your electrical and plumbing systems might have been compromised. Since we can’t see most of these systems without going behind the walls or under the floors, it can be easily overlooked. At the right temperature, plumbing pipes can melt or become warped, leading to poor water pressure or water leaks. 

If the fire infiltrated your electrical wiring, it could have burned through important wires or could have left them dangerously bare. If you are struggling with your electricity after a fire, call for professional help immediately.

It is also important to have a full inspection after a fire due to the possibility of electrocution dangers and future fires as well. Stripped or compromised electrical wires can arc and start a brand new fire unexpectedly, or you could become electrocuted if you come into contact with the wire. 

3. Water Damage Caused By Extinguishing The Fire

Did you know that most houses that suffer from fire damage also experience water damage? This is due to the excessive amount of water and chemicals used to extinguish the fire. While these extinguishing methods are necessary, they can leave a large and watery mess behind. 

Cleaning up the visible water with towels or using a wet/dry vacuum might remove the visible water, but water will likely have already leaked behind your walls and under your floors. 

Water will quickly damage these areas of your home, leading to: 

• Warped or swollen floorboards
• Soggy or compromised drywall
• Ruined carpets
• Mold infestations 

Utilizing a professional fire damage restoration team will also ensure that your home overcomes water damage as well as fire damage. 

4. Soot and Smoke Caused By The Fire

The effects of soot and smoke can extend far beyond the location of the actual house fire. They can travel to areas of your home that the flames never touched. Because of that, you could be dealing with soot and the smells of smoke for years to come without a professional restoration.