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Water Damage From Firefighting

Water Damage From Firefighting in West Los Angeles

Water damage from firefighting is the soaking a building takes when a fire is put out. It has to be removed and dried quickly, before mold starts and wet materials break down, and it reaches rooms the fire never touched. Cleaning it up is one part of our fire damage restoration work in West Los Angeles, Culver City and nearby communities.

Call (310) 678-4345 to schedule an inspection.

Licensed California contractor, CSLB #998184 · IICRC-certified firm · 4.8 stars, 180+ reviews across Google, Yelp, and BBB

Quick links: What it involves Signs Our process Cost FAQs

Water damage after a fire? We map it, remove it and dry the structure.

What Water Damage From Firefighting Involves

Water damage from firefighting is water damage restoration done in a burned building: we remove the water, dry the structure, clean up the soot the water carried and repair what can’t be saved. It differs from an ordinary leak in three ways:

It’s Dirty

Firefighting water picks up soot, ash and debris, so wet materials need cleaning or removal, not just drying.

It Travels

It runs down through ceilings, walls and floors into the rooms below, and in condos and apartments that often means the units underneath.

It Hides

Wall cavities, insulation and the space under flooring stay wet long after surfaces look dry.

Signs of Water Damage After a Fire

Any fire put out with water needs a moisture inspection, even when the rooms around it look dry. Watch for:

  • Wet, stained or sagging ceilings in the rooms below
  • Soft or swollen drywall near the floor
  • Carpet or pad that stays damp
  • A musty smell a few days after the fire
  • Water stains or dripping in the unit below

In condo and apartment buildings, our commercial fire damage restoration work maps and records the water unit by unit.

Seeing these signs after a fire? Book a moisture inspection before the water spreads.

Our Firefighting Water Damage Process

Our firefighting water damage process has six steps: call, map the water, remove it, dry the structure, clean, then rebuild.

Step 1

Call (310) 678-4345 once the fire department has cleared the building. We ask which floors took water, whether the power is off and whether rooms or units below are wet.

Step 2

We map moisture through the building with meters and thermal imaging, including the rooms below and beside the fire. Rooms that look dry get checked too, because moisture hides in wall cavities and under floors.

Step 3

Water removal starts with standing water, then the water in carpet and pad. Soaked materials that took on soot, like insulation and the bottom of wet drywall, usually come out.

Step 4

Structural drying follows the method we use on any water loss, which is the core of our water damage restoration work. Equipment goes where the moisture readings point, and it stays until materials are back to normal dry levels.

Step 5

Once everything is dry, surfaces that held sooty water get cleaned.

Step 6

Last comes the rebuild: drywall, insulation, flooring and paint, plus repairs to the roof and window openings left by the fire and the firefighters.

How long firefighting water cleanup takes depends on how many rooms or units took water and how much has to be rebuilt. Drying ends when the readings return to normal, not on a set date.

How Much Does Water Damage Cleanup After a Fire Cost?

Water damage cleanup after a fire is priced in a written estimate after an inspection, and the inspection for one home costs $375 to $775.

Inspection Price What it covers
Basic Inspection $375 to $575 About 15 to 20 minutes with an infrared camera; price depends on size and time
Detailed Inspection $575 to $775 A more in-depth investigation of up to about 1 hour, for one household or unit up to 3,000 sq. ft.
Multi-Unit / Larger Property Inspection $975 to $1,500 Up to 5 units or properties, 3,500 to 10,000 sq. ft.

The estimate depends on how many rooms or units took water, how much soaked material has to come out and how much has to be rebuilt. Water from putting out a covered fire is normally treated as part of the fire loss, not as a separate water claim. Your policy sets the limits, and your insurer decides.

Water testing isn’t included in inspection prices. When we do the work, the fee for a Basic or Detailed Inspection is credited toward the cost of the work. Multi-Unit / Larger Property Inspection fees and water testing fees are not credited.

Call (310) 678-4345 to schedule an inspection and get a written estimate.

Get a written estimate for your firefighting water damage cleanup.

Why Choose Absolute for Water Damage After a Fire

Absolute is a water damage restoration company first, so firefighting water gets the same mapping and drying as any water loss we handle.

Water Is Our Specialty

We specialize in finding and repairing leaks from exterior sources. After a fire, we dry the structure to normal readings and repair the roof and window openings during the rebuild, so the building keeps water out again.

Licensed, Certified and Experienced

We’re a licensed California contractor (CSLB #998184), an IICRC-certified firm (#70018676) and a MICRO Certified Firm, with more than 30 years in business. Our founder, Cameron Figgins, has more than 30 years of hands-on experience.

Licensed, IICRC-certified water damage restoration after a fire in West LA and Culver City.

Firefighting Water Damage FAQs

It varies with the size of the fire, and it’s often more than people expect. Fire hoses move a lot of water in a short time, and much of it ends up in the building’s floors, walls and lower rooms. That’s why water damage after a fire can cover more rooms than the fire itself did.

Many can. Hard items like dishes, metal and sealed wood often clean up well. Soaked upholstery, mattresses, paper and anything porous that absorbed sooty water is harder to save. Move dry items out of wet rooms, photograph damaged ones before throwing them out and ask your adjuster before you discard anything valuable.

Not reliably. Fans dry surfaces, but firefighting water sits inside wall cavities, insulation and subfloors, where fans don’t reach, and it carries soot that has to be cleaned off, not just dried. Moisture readings tell you when the structure is actually dry, before walls get closed up.

Still have questions? Our experts are here to help.

Book a Firefighting Water Damage Inspection

Call (310) 678-4345 or schedule an inspection online. The water has to come out before anything else can start.