Before

After

Restoring an Unwanted Fire from the Fireplace in this Port St Lucie Home

One of the risks of having fireplaces installed in our Florida community where operating them does not happen often is the possibility of buildup in the flues that can cause the damage you see in the Before Photo. When this housefire occurred, our SERVPRO of Port St Lucie NE team was called in to help. Our restorers are a trusted name in St. Lucie County for:  

• Fire restoration
• Smoke remediation
• Fire and smoke damage
• Water & fire damage restoration

The Initial Job Scoping Phase  

Our production manager first walked the property with the homeowner to inspect the damaged area and catalog any loss experienced. Contents were examined, and a plan was created to start the emergency services required to protect this house and get restoration started shortly after. 

Air Filtration and Deodorization

Creating a safe and pleasant environment during the restoration process is vital for our responding technicians. As the damage in this scenario was maintained to the living room, the house occupants did not need to be displaced during recovery. This would ultimately amplify the need to remove circulating soot and smoke particles and eliminate harsh odors that made comfortable living difficult. Some tools to help in this included: 

• Hydroxyl generators
• HEPA air scrubbers
• HEPA vacuums 
• Odor counteractant products

Cleaning Bricks and the Fireplace 

As you can tell in the Before Photo, much of the brick on the right side of the fireplace has been severely damaged by soot and charring. Our team had to be selective about the best cleaning approach because of the textured surface of natural brickwork and masonry in the fireplace. Dry ice blasting and other media can often eliminate soils without impacting the underlying substrate. 

Cleaning the fireplace would also not be a singular event, as multiple types of soils would get deposited, the greatest of which was the buildup and residues of the clogged flue. Chem sponges could begin the process of eliminating loose debris, and wet cleaning with solvents removed the rest of the damage to prevent the need for repainting.  

Repairing and Refinishing the Mantle  

The mantle you can see heavily damaged by smoke and charring in the Before Photo was pulled from the fireplace and taken to our nearby SERVPRO facility for focused cleaning. The mantlepiece would require scraping and sanding, as these abrasive tactics could help remove smoke damage and provide odor removal. Before it could be returned, our professionals refinished the wood and gave it a fresh coat of paint. The bright white mantlepiece now accentuates the efficient cleaning completed on the fireplace.

"Like it never even happened."

While fireplaces are not often heavily used in Port St Lucie, no homeowner wants their property to appear profoundly damaged as it looked in the Before Photo, either. We understand the value of taking all the necessary steps to restore normal appearances and environmental conditions after a fire. As leading fire restoration professionals, we helped show this customer why we are a trusted name. We made this fire loss "Like it never even happened."