Spanish Fork House Fire – Part 2

Part 2 – The Damage

Welcome back to the Disaster Kleenup Blog, where we discuss previous disasters we have cleaned up and talk about preventative steps and plans and getting you back up and running again.
Last week we shared a story about a rental home with multiple families living there that suffered a devastating fire.

Many people resided in the home, including multiple families, as the tenant was renting rooms to non-relatives. One night in December 2020, a fire was accidentally started in one of the basement rooms that quickly spread. Everyone was evacuated from the home, but tragically, one person later died from injuries from this devastating incident.

Upon inspection of the home after the fire, it was discovered that there were many code issues. The insurance placed on the home from the out-of-state owners depreciated everything by 50%. There was also a mortgage loan on the property that needed to be paid. This left a shortfall and did not leave not enough funds to cover any rebuilding and cleanup that needed to be done.

The debris from the fire would need to be cleaned up. Personal Belongings like furniture, clothes, carpet, and material from the structure that was heavily damaged not only from the fire but also from the smoke and the water from the fire suppression efforts. Burned basement joists and attic trusses made for an unstable structure. Smoke damage permeated through the walls and ceilings.

Asbestos would also need to be addressed, and smoke damage permeated through the walls and ceilings, which requires special attention and methods to remove it properly.

To evacuate the home and put out the fire, the fire department had to break through an exterior wall to gain access to the home.

The clock was ticking. Anything left of the structure would need to be acted on as quickly as possible to be salvageable. The property would need to be secured temporarily until a plan could be made.

Structure’s left empty can experience further damage due to weather, animals, temperature variations, humidity, and vandalism. The rebuild costs would need to be collected after the home’s rebuild.

To learn more about how UDK restores fire damage check out our Fire Damage Restoration and Repair page!

Navigating the claims process with insurance can be frustrating. Still, thorough documentation with reports and estimates needs to be made to keep your insurance company in the loop and help you throughout the cleanup process. Please look at a few of our other social media posts for tips and tricks in forming a plan. You can check out a previous story we shared on a different cleanup here. Be sure to come back next week to hear more on this case. Stay tuned!