What Factors Determine the Severity of Smoke Damage During a Fire?

9/24/2021 (Permalink)

Here you can see the concentration of smoke damage towards the top of the wall and ceiling.

There are two main factors that determine the severity of smoke damage during a fire:

The temperature of the smoke: Fire produces heat, and as a result, the air above the fire

becomes hot, expands and becomes lighter. The lighter air moves up, and its place is taken by the denser cold air. The process generates air currents called convection currents, which cause smoke to rise to the top. As the temperature of the air increases, the pressure it exerts against the surfaces increases as well. Meaning, hotter fires produce a hotter smoke that is forced against the surfaces. The smoke particles in such fires can go deeper into the surface pores and cause extensive damage.

The temperature of the surrounding surfaces: Hotter smoke move towards cooler surfaces such as outside walls, closets, and unheated rooms- damaging these areas the heaviest. It can be surprising to see how much smoke residue finds its way into drawers and closets.

A fire incident can be quite a traumatizing experience, but SERVPRO of Vero Beach’s technicians can use multiple techniques to clean surfaces that are heavily damaged by smoke and soot. 
Call SERVPRO of Vero Beach at 772-770-0501. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

SERVPRO of Vero Beach

www.SERVPROverobeach.com

772-770-0501