Stanley Steemer mitigates damages in under a week, erasing terrible damages and setting up a seamless reconstruction

A Richfield Springs couple endured terrible fire damages to their home on February 3, 2008, after a exterior chimney caught fire and burned a good portion of the upstairs of the two-story colonial.

The homeowner noticed an orange glow from his kitchen window that evening and thought the snow plow was going by. When the glow didn't go away he looked out the front door and saw the flames climbing the exterior of the home. The fire department was called immediately, however, they could not make it up a hill to the home due to road conditions. The town stepped in to clear the roads, and 45 minutes later, the fire department arrived. In that time, the fire entered an upstairs bedroom, completely burning it out and creating alarmingly high temperatures in the home and tremendous smoke damage.

The photos and slide show capture the extensive damages to the home. Large amounts of water were used to fight the fire, soaking the home to its core, with walls and ceilings falling throughout the home.

Stanley Steemer was called in by the insurance company to get control of the home as it was still structurally sound after the fire. The first step was to remove all salvageable contents for cleaning off-premises. All contents that were destroyed were inventoried and discarded. Once all the contents were handled, removal of all upstairs walls, ceilings and flooring was conducted. The debris removal process required four 40-yard rolloff dumpsters.

Because the ceilings were burned out on the second floor, containment was setup on the ceiling studs to help keep heat inside the home to allow for effective drying. With containment in place, the home was dry within several days. Finishing off the home, each nail or screw was removed from the studs to allow for a seamless transition to reconstruction.