Recent Fire Damage Posts

Fire Damage Is No Match for Skilled Restoration in Canoga Park

2/21/2023 (Permalink)

Red fire extinguisher putting out a controlled fire in a black box Regardless of the level of fire damage your home in Canoga Park experienced, contact SERVPRO for remediation services.

Call SERVPRO to Your Canoga Park Home for Fire Damage Cleanup

Fire damaged homes call for prompt attention so that you can get your life back in order as soon as possible. SERVPRO realizes that Canoga Park residents that recently experienced a house fire will have many emotions and a lot to think about. You may wonder if it is safe to enter your home, how you can go about the insurance claims process, and if everything is lost. We're Faster to Any Size Disaster, offering the prompt attention your property deserves!

When your Canoga Park home encounters fire damage, you need to remember several things, including:

  • Never try cleaning electrical components or appliances that may have been close to heat, flames, or water.
  • Never try shampooing upholstery and carpeting or washing painted surfaces and walls.
  • Never turn on any lighting or ceiling fans because the wiring might be compromised.
  • Never consume any beverages or food items that may have been near heat, flames, or water.

Water Restoration and Fire Cleanup Go Hand-in-Hand

Water removal services and moisture control are necessary for most fire-related emergencies to bring your property back to pre-fire condition. As first responders extinguish the flames, high-pressure water and possibly chemicals are used to speed up fire-fighting efforts. SERVPRO inspects all areas to locate moisture, and our water restoration technicians (WRT) work to pull up standing water and charred debris with powerful pumps and extraction tools.

SERVPRO always brings the right equipment for all fire cleanup projects to ensure the best results. We know that using professional equipment makes the difference in the results and cuts back on your claim's dollar amount. Time matters, so our industrial-grade equipment allows us to achieve our goals promptly.

Before cleaning surfaces and belongings, pre-testing gets done. We can determine the correct cleaning method and products to salvage whatever is possible by pre-testing materials and surface areas. Our fire and smoke restoration technicians (FSRT) are well-versed when it comes to handling soiling from wet or dry smoke, protein-based smoke, fuel-oil soot, and other stubborn residues.

Rebuilding After Fire Damage to Your Home

With significant restoration projects, you need skilled contractors to take care of all reconstruction work. Due to the charred building materials and possible issues with structural elements after a fire, the project may call for controlled demolition. Our SERVPRO team works with trusted contractors in the local area so that your property can get back to pre-fire condition "Like it never even happened."

We will also handle any temporary construction needs such as board-up and tarping to prevent further damage from the elements or vandals. Some of the various repair and reconstruction work that may be necessary with fire damage include:

  • Drywall removal and replacement
  • Carpet repair and installation
  • Flooring repair (tile, marble, wood, linoleum)
  • Roofing repair and replacement
  • Painting and sealing

Before your project wraps up, our IICRC-certified team follows protocols to handle sanitizing and deodorizing of all surfaces. Not only does this step leave your interior clean and safe for your family and pets, but it also eliminates any foul smoke odors getting left behind as a reminder of the fire event that took place. Our Green Fleet comes stocked with a range of deodorants like odor-counteractant beads and EPA-registered cleaning agents. We also have equipment handy to eliminate stubborn soot odors, including thermal foggers, ultra-low volume (ULV) foggers, air scrubbers, and hydroxyl generators.

SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills is here to address your house fire cleanup and fire damage restoration needs. Call us 24/7 at (818) 998-1500.

Fire Damage Cleanup in Canoga Park Is Better with SERVPRO’s Help

1/17/2023 (Permalink)

soot on a dresser top Soot, odors, and fire damage are all vanquished by SERVPRO. We make your Canoga Park home appear "Like it never even happened."

How to Handle Fire Damage in Canoga Park Homes

During a fire, smoke, odor, soot, and other particles that only trained professionals can see penetrate the floors, walls, attic, and ductwork. Thus, it is vital to have competent professionals repair the fire damage and restore your residence to a clean, healthy environment.

SERVPRO’s certified fire restoration team can arrive at your home shortly after you contact us. We can use the latest techniques and technologies to handle the fire damage in your Canoga Park residence. We can perform fire damage mitigation, cleanup, and home reconstruction.  The primary responsibilities that our restorers undertake include the following:

  • Board up and tarping
  • Smoke and soot cleanup
  • Water damage mitigation
  • Odor removal

Board up and tarping

A fire can damage the doors, roof, windows, and other structures. Gaping holes that remain after the fire can be an invitation to issues like thieves and wildlife. Our SERVPRO technicians can board up the openings and place tarps on the rooftop to safeguard your home from further damage.

Soot removal

Soot is a deposit of impure carbon particles that can penetrate porous surfaces like clothing, carpeting, draperies, and furniture. Oily or dry soot can form based on the type of materials that burned. Our SERVPRO technicians can use dry cleaning sponges and low alkaline detergents to remove dry soot from the affected surfaces. We can use high-alkaline detergents to remove oily soot and thoroughly rinse the affected areas.

Water damage mitigation

A home can get flooded during a fire if the flames damage pipes or water storage tanks or if the firefighters use lots of water to extinguish it. Our SERVPRO team can use water pumps to remove the standing water. We can dry the house with air-moving and dehumidifying equipment.

Odor removal

Removing odor from a fire-swept property is critical because unpleasant odors cause frustration and discomfort. We can use innovative technology like thermal fogging to eliminate the smells.

Don’t hesitate to contact SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills at (818) 998-1500 to restore your property, making the fire damage seem “Like it never even happened.”

Canoga Park Fire Damage Advice

7/24/2022 (Permalink)

After a fire in your home, you need to deal with the fire damage immediately. SERVPRO technicians are here to help. Contact us 24/7.

SERVPRO Can Adeptly Restore Your Canoga Park Fire Damaged Home

Although many people believe that their homes are safe from fire, nothing could be further from the truth. Canoga Park fire damage can occur at your property at any moment. Being prepared to grapple with the aftermath of an intense fire damaging event can be intimidating and heart-wrenching. To ensure that your property is not destroyed or subjected to severe damage following a fire, quickly hire a professional fire damage restoration service. SERVPRO points out some benefits that result from taking this course of action:

Preventing Future Health Challenges

One great benefit of securing a professional fire damage restoration company in Canoga Park like SERVPRO is quickly addressing the ambient air issues post-fire. Unfortunately, soot and smoke can adversely impact all areas of your home via the HVAC system. Though the flames and the fire damage may be localized, smoke and soot can be all invasive. The ambient air of your home may be compromised, necessitating professional know-how and equipment to render it once again safe and sanitary.

Property Restoration

Hiring a professional fire damage company is necessary for the comprehensive property restoration services they can offer. Unfortunately, the smoke, heat, and flames of the fire can do severe damage to your belongings and property. In some cases, your home may become structurally unsound following the fire, thereby making your property unsafe for occupying. Professional fire damage experts from SERVPRO correct this issue by working with both you and your insurance provider, upon both your approval, to restore the property. This cooperation helps you with your claim, limits out-of-pocket expenses, and expedites the fire damage restoration process. 

Water Removal and Water Damage Repair

When firefighters come to your property to put the fire out, they'll flood your home with water. This water can cause a lot of property damage unless you hire a team of experts to initiate rapid water extraction. For example, standing water can cause mold and mildew growth or create secondary water damage to structural materials and personal possessions. By utilizing heavy-duty water pumps, wet vacs, sump pumps, air movers, and dehumidifiers, we can quickly remove excess water and moisture. 

Although fires can destroy some of your belongings and property, quick and comprehensive fire damage restoration efforts can mitigate the losses. Call the professional, IICRC-certified technicians of SERVPRO. We'll work with speed and skill to restore your property to its preloss condition in an empathetic and economical manner.

Our Fire Damage Restoration Services

Every fire damage situation is a little different and requires a unique solution. When various materials burn, the soot they create differs significantly and requires a specific cleaning procedure. Learn more about our fire damage restoration process. SERVPRO of Canoga Park/West Hills is proud to serve our local communities of Canoga Park, West Hills, and Bell Canyon with all water, mold, and fire damage needs. Call us 24/7 for help at (818) 998-1500.

Get Rid Of Your Fire Damage Problems In West Hills Once And For All

5/20/2022 (Permalink)

Regardless of the extent of the fire damage, team SERVPRO can help. Contact our certified technicians 24/7 for effective remediation services.

Remediating Fire Damage In West Hills

There is never just one type of debris or residue left after a West Hills home fire. That is because the fire burns at different speeds, destroying dozens or even hundreds of types of materials. Both of these factors generate many types of residues that make cleaning and restoring property more difficult.

These two factors and more determine the level of fire damage to West Hills homes. For SERVPRO technicians, the damage level also helps us determine which methods and tools we use to reduce and eliminate the effects, returning each home to its original condition before the fire took place.

The lowest level of damage is, obviously, minor. Here, most of the damage remains close to the source of the fire and does not spread through the entire home. The residues it leaves behind are considered light-to-moderate and easily cleaned from furniture, walls, and ceilings using sponges and mild cleaners for the most part. The residues also generate fairly mild odors, and technicians remove them with the residues. Some minor repainting may be required, and items like books may need replacing.

Medium damage requires SERVPRO IICRC-certified technicians to use stronger cleaners and dispose of more property. Residues from smoke and soot are thicker, spread farther into the home, and require more effort to remove. They also generate stronger odors. Items like marble countertops may require a stiff brush to break up the residues so technicians can clean them from the grout and other surfaces. At this level, there is enough damage from heat and flames to force removing building material like drywall panels and ceiling tiles.

Heat and flames make up a much larger part of major damage, however. The fire burns through the panels and tiles to reach the framing behind them. The heat becomes so intense that curtains can burn completely and windows shatter. If the fire reaches high enough, it can damage the roof and even compromise the support structure holding it up. Damage this severe often requires our restoration teams to board up broken windows and even doors to prevent secondary damage, trespassing, and vandalism.

Restoring your home after a fire is difficult and can be expensive. At SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills, our goal is to remediate the effects of a fire no matter the level of damage. If you are dealing with the results of this summer’s fires, contact us at (818) 998-1500 to schedule an appointment and start returning your home to its original condition.

Canoga Park Homes Get Back to Normal Fast with Fire Restoration

4/18/2022 (Permalink)

Most house fire cleanup projects involve some level of reconstruction.

SERVPRO Helps Canoga Park Residents with Skilled Fire Restoration Efforts

Of all potential home emergencies you could encounter, fire is one that Canoga Park residents fear most. Whenever you have a fire in your home, big or small, it is how you begin picking up the pieces that dictate the result. SERVPRO is there to make it “Like it never even happened.” With our proven methods and knowledgeable team of fire and smoke restoration technicians (FSRT), we are the asset you want on your side to bring your property back to pre-fire condition.

Our SERVPRO technicians bring all the top industry equipment to each fire restoration project in Canoga Park. Our proven processes help us restore fire-damaged homes faster, and we have vital tools and equipment that make it easier for our techs to get the job done right the first time. Some of the equipment we use to battle stubborn smoke odors include:

  • Air scrubber machinery with on-board HEPA filtration to pull tiny odor particles from the air.
  • Ultra-low volume (ULV) foggers that put out vaporized deodorant solutions to rid large areas of pungent odors.
  • Cleaning solvents that can get applied to textiles, metals, and wood to clean and deodorize various surfaces. NOTE: Our technicians always pre-test different surfaces and materials to avoid possible damage during the cleaning process.

Trusted Contractors Make a World of Difference

Most house fire cleanup projects involve some level of reconstruction. SERVPRO uses trusted area contractors to perform controlled demolition wherever unsalvageable materials call for total replacement. We ensure everything gets handled, from new drywall installation and fixtures to structural elements, so that you can step back into life as usual in your home.

SERVPRO of Canoga Park/West Hills wants you to know we are your team when fire restoration is required. Get help online or give us a call at (818) 998-1500 to mobilize a crew to your property.

Cleaning Fire Damage in West Hills

3/4/2022 (Permalink)

Team SERVPRO is standing by 24/7, ready to help with effective fire damage remediation services after a fire. Our technicians are ready to help.

SERVPRO’s Fire Damage Cleaning Techniques

Restoring and cleaning West Hills property after a fire is cheaper than replacing it. Insurance companies prefer this option and insist on an inspection to determine the cost before signing off to replace large furniture items like sofas and recliners.

A professional remediation company is needed to ensure restoration to a West Hills home after fire damage is accomplished right the first time. SERVPRO is one of the oldest companies in California to offer these services. Our experience over the years has developed into six primary methods for cleaning property depending on how severe the damage might be.

Dry Cleaning (Wiping) – This method removes light to medium, non-greasy soils. It also works as a pre-cleaning method to remove excess residues before wet cleaning (wiping). The response team uses dusting cloths and feather dusters on these dry particles. For heavier soils, they may switch to vacuums and dry sponges.

Wet Cleaning (Wiping) – An effective method for removing moderate to heavy smoke and soot residues. SERVPRO team members use water to saturate surfaces while cleaning. For thicker residues, they mix cleaning agents into the water. Cloths and sponges are used to apply water and agents before wiping off the residue.

Spray and Wipe – This is another wet method, but technicians use a spray bottle for the application instead of saturation. It gives technicians more control and is a better method on fabrics when there is a risk of the color running by using too much water or a cleaning agent.

Foam Cleaning – We use a pump-up spray bottle with this method to force air into the cleaning solution before spraying it onto a stain. It places the cleaning solution onto the stain without using too much liquid and on fabrics that are at risk for shrinking with other methods such as upholstery material. A technician creates foam in a small container on small areas and then applies it using a small brush.

Abrasive Cleaning – Our IICRC-certified technicians use this method on rough surfaces like rock or more complex types of marble. They work in a thick liquid using scrubbing pads, a wire brush, or steel wool.

Immersion Cleaning – We use this last method on items with very heavy residues. Technicians lower the property into a tank containing a cleaning solution, and then high-frequency sound waves are used to force bubbles through it. It agitates the item without using a scrubbing device. It is a handy method for items like Venetian blinds.

Cleaning and restoring your property is not a quick process. It is one that SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills has been performing for decades and continues to support our neighbors. If you need us, call (818) 998-1500 today to schedule an appointment.

Things to Replace in Your West Hills House After Fire Damage

1/31/2022 (Permalink)

SERVPRO IICRC certified fire damage restoration technicians have the training and experience for every size of disaster. We are here to help.

SERVPRO Helps Inspect and Replace Unsalvageable Things in West Hills Homes

Fire is known to cause significant damage to a house within a short period. Some damages such as soiling on various materials can be reversed through cleaning, or refinishing thus saving the material. However, other damages are irreversible, necessitating replacing the affected material for your west hills home to regain its preloss state.

Replacing extensively affected things after fire damage at your West hills home is expected. Doubts only arise when the damage does not seem significant enough to warrant a replacement. One of the advantages of engaging fire restoration technicians from SERVPRO is the expertise in determining what can be salvaged.

Some items you should expect to replace even with slight damages include:

  • Electrical installations
  • Insulation
  • Sensitive appliances

The reasons for these mandatory replacements range from costs to preventing further damage to the property. For example, when walls or ceilings are left intact by the fire, you may not see the need for replacing insulation. However, since smoke moves uninhibited all over a property, it tends to reach even the concealed areas depositing soot and other residues. It is cheaper to replace the top layers of insulation than clean it. 

Appliances might not show any significant problems in the immediate aftermath of a fire. However, the residues inside the item can corrode internal components or cause short circuits. Such appliances are spoiled later and might even cause new fires. Any electronic apparatus that cannot be opened and cleaned should be replaced if exposed to fire to minimize future risks. SERVPRO for specialized cleaning of all exposed electronic appliances in your house.

The electrical system in a house comprises of several things, including:

  • Cables
  • Lighting fixtures
  • Sockets and switches

Fire can damage all or just a few parts of your electrical installation. Since it is impossible to inspect every inch of the cables, our SERVPRO technicians strip off the entire electrical in the affected rooms. 

SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills helps identify unsalvageable items after fire damage. Call us at (818) 998-1500 for assistance. We're Faster To Any Size Disaster.

Can SERVPRO Handle High Heat Fire Damage Restoration in Canoga Park Homes?

12/20/2021 (Permalink)

Removal of baked-on soot is always a challenge. Our techs bring specific equipment as needed to handle this issue.

SERVPRO Techs Can Perform Housefire Cleanup of Any Size Within Canoga Park Properties

One of the things most Canoga Park property owners notice from a post-house fire is how uneven the damage is within the structure. A significant contributing factor to this outcome is that different materials burn at varying heat levels, which generates a diverse array of heat levels and causes various types of residues. 

When handling fire damage restoration in Canoga Park properties, the techs from SERVPRO have the expertise to recognize whether the smoke damage left behind is from high or low heat and the cleanup applications needed to treat it successfully. Common high heat damages the techs encounter regularly include: 

  • Holes in roofing and floors 
  • High temp fires can reach 1100 degrees Fahrenheit resulting in soot baked onto surfaces
  • The high heat can burn through floor joists making the structure unsafe

The techs make sure the structure is sound before working inside and make the needed temporary repairs to halt further damage, such as tarping over holes in the roof or placing sturdy boards over holes in flooring to increase the safety of the worksite. 

Removal of baked-on soot is always a challenge, and the techs bring specific equipment as needed to handle this issue. One of the most commonly used abatement approaches involves the use of dry. Rather than creating water damage by melting after use, the cooled CO2 pellets are around minus 109 degrees Fahrenheit when they get blasted onto a surface and turn into harmless water vapor after striking it and taking a little soot off at a time without marring the article. 

Canoga Park residents rely on SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills at (818) 998-1500 for fire damage restoration. The trained technicians bring the latest advanced equipment and methods for the best outcome every time. 

Is Professional Fire Damage Restoration Necessary in Canoga Park?

9/26/2021 (Permalink)

Did your home face a recent fire? Contact Team SERVPRO to effectively remediate the fire damage and tackle any remaining odors.

Prompt, Reliable Restoration by SERVPRO Ensures Canoga Park Residents Get a Handle on Fire Damage

Many actions could lead to a house fire, big or small. How fast you act to address soot and smoke odors and visible fire damage dictates the outcome. Once your family and pets are safe, and first responders give the okay to enter your property, calling SERVPRO helps you get the results you deserve. We are here for all Canoga Park residents 24 hours a day to provide prompt, dependable fire restoration. Our goal is to get there quickly to minimize the cost and loss so that you can get back to your routine quickly. We’re Faster to Any Size Disaster!

What happens when you call on SERVPRO for fire damage restoration in Canoga Park? Within a few hours of initial contact, you will have a team of IICRC-certified fire and smoke restoration technicians (FSRT) at your door and ready to assess all damage. Some of the most common reasons we get called fire damaged homes include:

  • Electrical fires
  • Unattended cigarettes, candles, fireplaces, etc.
  • Kitchen/cooking-related fires

Our Green Fleet of vehicles comes fully equipped with the tools and products to execute each job quickly and efficiently. Not only do we handle all debris removal, but we look further into all structural elements to ensure safety. When it comes to smoke odors, we have Odor Control Technicians (OCT) on our team to handle all soot and smoke residue – even when it travels throughout your HVAC system. We use:

  • Oxidizing cleaners
  • Generalized surface cleaning agents
  • Acid-based cleaners
  • Cream cleansers
  • Soda blasting methods
  • Thermal fogging, and more

It is vital that you return to your home without any reminders of the fire event that took place. Hiring SERVPRO of Canoga Park/West Hills for fire damage restoration is the only way to get proven results. Call us at (818) 998-1500 when you require assistance, day or night.

Why it is Crucial to Have Your HVAC System Cleaned After a Fire in Your Canoga Park House

7/30/2021 (Permalink)

Make sure to consider your HVAC system when your home is affected by a fire. Contact SERVPRO for equipment and certified technicians for the job.

Cleaning Your HVAC System After Fire Damage

Effects from a disaster can spread quickly throughout your Canoga Park home using pathways designed for conditioned air. Your HVAC system is running almost every day throughout the year, keeping a set regulated temperature for your house, and as such, when disaster strikes, these systems often become affected as well. With a situation like a fire, smoke and soot can often get brought into the HVAC system and spread through the ductwork to reach every room in the house and coat the ducts themselves with a thick residue.

While there are many obstacles to overcome fire damage in your Canoga Park home, you need to fixate on getting the right professional assistance right away to ensure the right experience and expertise is at the helm of restoring your home as efficiently as possible. While structural concerns and other pressing effects might take precedence over cleanup in specific areas like the air ducts, our SERVPRO team has the tools and equipment to restore these areas and other damages that the fire has allowed.

Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration and Cleanup

Our professionals can arrive quickly after the firefighters have left your home to begin our assessment of the damage and mitigation practices to prevent further damage. When fire debris cleanup begins, often the HVAC system can get included in this overall effort. We have specialized tools like powered bristle brushes and strong vacuums to place over vents to pull soot, debris, sediment, dust, and potentially other contaminants from this network of ducts.

It is important to care for this system early because it can continue to be a pathway for soot and smoke residue to find access throughout your home. Our SERVPRO professionals can work quickly to clean this area, allowing a significant reduction in traveling particulates but also encouraging the system to run more efficiently once restoration completes.

Cleaning this system after a fire is one of many steps that must get taken to return your home to its original condition. You can count on our SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills team to show that We’re Faster to Any Size Disaster. Give our experts a call today at (818) 998-1500.

Does SERVPRO Provide Fire Restoration and Smoke Remediation in West Hills?

5/3/2021 (Permalink)

Odors can remain long after a fire has been extinguished and fire damage cleaned up. Partner with SERVPRO for effective remediation services.

SERVPRO Provides Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration and Cleanup in West Hills

After the damaged contents and structural items have been removed, there is often a lingering odor caused by smoke residues in the air and resting on walls, floors, and your contents. We remove residues as part of a complete house fire clean-up. Odors may remain and require further intervention to remove all traces of the fire.

SERVPRO provides fire restoration for residences and commercial properties in West Hills and the surrounding area. Our highly trained professionals respond on a 24/7 basis in four hours from your call to minimize and contain additional fire damage from water and chemicals used to quell the fire. Broken windows and doors are boarded up to prevent intrusion. 

We provide complete house fire cleanup, including:

  • Removal of fire-damaged materials
  • Water and chemical removal
  • Complete house fire clean up
  • Property repair
  • Professional smoke deodorization

After thoroughly cleaning the structure and contents, we use Ozone to neutralize odor-causing molecules, breaking them down into smaller, less offensive materials. Ozone is a colorless pale blue gas used to remove offensive odors.

Call SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills for fire restoration services in West Hills and surrounding areas. We can help 24/7. Call (818) 998-1500.

Fire Damage Restoration Needed in West Hills

3/26/2021 (Permalink)

Whether it was a large or just a small fire in your home, it doesn’t matter. Our SERVPRO team has many resources to tackle fire damage.

For professional house fire clean up, contact SERVPRO

Residential fires are usually in the kitchen and remain confined there. While this prevents widespread physical damage to the home, some of the residues left after fires are extinguished can be very difficult to remove.

These types of fire damage in West Hills homes require special cleaning agents that can break up the residues for easier removal. SERVPRO restoration teams train extensively with cleaning agents and specialized equipment to remove residue particles. These particles not only damage surfaces but also emit malodors which can remain for weeks and months even when the home looks restored.

How do the Cleaning Agents Work?

  • Break up thin particle layers that can be wiped away with damp or dry sponges
  • Liquid cleaners isolate or emulsify particles in thicker layers from the affected surfaces for wiping away or with extractors that remove everything in the solution
  • Combine with or breakdown the odor-causing particles which eliminate the malodors 

Contact SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills at (818) 998-1500 for a fast, professional response to a residential fire. 

Need Assistance During Fire Damage Restoration?

2/21/2021 (Permalink)

SERVPRO can make your fire loss "Like it never even happened."

SERVPRO Restores West Hills Properties and Facilitates Residents in Other Ways 

Anyone looking for an easygoing neighborhood in Los Angeles should consider West Hills, which perfectly fits the bill. It is renowned for its numerous coffee shops and parks. A significant percentage of its 40,000 residents are retirees. 

The area where the neighborhood sits was home to the Chumash-Venturaño and Tongva-Fernandeño Native American tribes. Native Americans are believed to have occupied the region for over 8,000 years. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, the area was under Mexican rule after Mexico gained independence from Spain. 

Top Landmarks in West Hills

As already indicated, parks are a crucial feature in the West Hills neighborhood. Therefore, it should not seem unusual that a number are considered landmarks and have been awarded the Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument status, which guarantees their protection. These landmarks include:

  • Orcutt Ranch- The estate comprises the 1920 Adobe residence of William Warren Orcutt, a Union Oil Company executive. In addition to the mansion, it also has citrus orchards and gardens. Currently, the park is known as the Orcutt Ranch Horticulture Center and offers various services, including self-guided strolls, scheduled house tours, and annual public citrus harvests. It is also a favorite location for weddings. 
  • Shadow Ranch- It was initially known as the workman ranch owned by Alfred Workman, a muleskinner and emigrant from Australia. He bought the land in 1869 and later built a house for his family by adding to an existing adobe. Workman imported eucalyptus trees from his native Australia to plant in his ranch. It is rumored that all eucalyptus trees in California came from the Workman ranch. Currently, it features lighted basketball courts, soccer and football fields, picnic tables, and community rooms.
  • El Escorpión Park- The three-acre park is located in Simi Hills. Its main attraction is the El Escorpión Peak, which serves as a landmark and offers fascinating views of the valley. It is a perfect location for walks, hiking, or biking. 

The neighborhood is famous for its unique coffee shops. Apart from Starbucks and other popular coffee shops, alternative shops have unique offerings.

  • The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, situated on Platt Avenue. They offer a variety of well-made beverages, including ice-blended types.
  • Sago Boba Shop located on Topanga Canyon is highly rated for custom drinks, flavors, and combos. Apart from coffee, they also have various other beverages on their menu.
  • Crave Cafe, located on Vanowen Street, offers a variety of refreshments and meals

SERVPRO Helps Facilitate Fire Damage Restoration in West Hills

A fire incident not only ruins your home but also introduces an array of challenges. For instance, it is impossible to stay in the damaged house awaiting renovation because of the strong odor and the health risks posed by fire residues. 

SERVPRO helps in many ways when a fire razes property. Our principal service is the restoration of the structure and affected valuables. However, we can also help occupants deal with the loss more conveniently. Some of the main steps include:

  • Boarding up the property to seal openings such as shattered windows
  • Setting up barriers to isolate some sections of the property to limit the spread of residues or odor
  • Pre-cleaning utility areas such as kitchens and bathrooms to make the property habitable before complete restoration 

SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills has extensive experience dealing with fire damage restoration. Call us at (818) 998-1500.

Visit Candy Cane Lane Near Canoga Park

11/3/2020 (Permalink)

We are excited to see the city light up with Christmas lights.

Canoga Park is Five Minutes from Candy Cane Lane Christmas Lights

Homeowners in the Woodland Hills area have embraced the Christmas spirit. They install thousands of lights for all to enjoy in a variety of colorful displays. The displays include:

  • Entire homes decorated with lights
  • Lifesize Santa’s
  • Decorated Christmas trees
  • Santa’s sleigh and reindeer
  • Trains full of gifts
  • Elves and snowmen
  • Polar bears and much more

Eight blocks in Lubao and Oxnard streets have been getting into the Christmas spirit for the past 60 years. Everyone should see this impressive display. Candy Cane lane opens mid-December. The lights go on approximately 6 pm on opening night with Christmas music to celebrate the season. The lights are on display until Christmas eve. The street is closed to vehicles allowing everyone to stroll along the road safely while enjoying the show.

SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills provides professional fire and smoke restoration services to Canoga Park residential, business customers, and the surrounding area. Call (818) 998-1500. We are available 24/7 to help with all fire damage restoration needs.

How Do Professionals Remove Soot and Smoke Residues from Ceilings?

9/24/2020 (Permalink)

SERVPRO Says Let Us Clean the Sooty Deposits from Your Canoga Park Home after a Fire, "Like it never even happened."

Residents of Canoga Park Often Choose Professional Fire Restoration Technicians to Perform Cleaning and Odor Control after a Housefire.

Is it safe to clean fire damage myself?

Once a fire marshall clears your Canoga Park property for safe entry, you can re-enter and perform light-cleaning duties. The main risk of performing fire restoration by yourself is spreading around soot or smoke residues and maintaining safety in the structure. While most noxious fire gases disperse within the first few hours, small debris or soots inhaled or ingested can have health effects. Professional technicians have both the necessary skills to identify different types of smoke residue and the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) to perform the task. Often, identifying the types of smoke residue can be a massive help in restoring walls or ceilings.

What light-cleaning can I do in a fire-damaged property?

  • Open windows to provide natural ventilation of the area
  • Cover items or surfaces, especially carpets, with sheets or other barriers
  • Perform light vacuuming of surfaces

Why do experts vacuum properties with fire damage?

When you use a fire restoration expert in Canoga Park, you may notice them using vacuums in the property during the early stages. Soiling on walls can often be a composite of different smoke residues. Vacuuming surfaces help to dislodge and remove dry smoke residues from the body. By performing light-vacuuming of an area, we can guard against spreading or setting soots by introducing water. A SERVPRO technician can remove dry soot relatively easily. However, for wet soots, there is a decision-making process that requires testing and a range of oil-based or water-based cleaning methods.

What cleaning products are used during fire restoration?

  • Oil-based solvent chemicals
  • Water-based solvents and detergents
  • Deodorant chemicals to mask or eliminate odors

If a housefire covers your property in smoke or soot residues, contact SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills at (818) 998-1500 now.

My Property has Fire Damage. How Do I Handle It?

8/4/2020 (Permalink)

You can trust the SERVPRO brand to restore you home. We are always available to take your call.

Contact SERVPRO Technicians in West Hills for an Effective Fire Damage Restoration 

Dealing with a fire's aftermath can be overwhelming if you do not have the right skills and equipment. If you do not conduct the restoration process quickly, the soot and smoke residues left behind can worsen matters. Therefore, it is essential to act fast by engaging with professionals from a reliable company like SERVPRO to minimize the damage in your West Hills property. 

What does a reliable restoration company do? 

Our primary objective is to reduce the risk of further damage and salvage as much property as possible. Our experienced technicians can perform fire damage restoration in your West Hills home. We can also work with your insurance company to help streamline the claims process. 

How do you handle the different kinds of fire damage? 

Our highly trained restorers can assess the damage and provide you with an overview of the affected surfaces and items. We can also identify salvageable items and those damaged beyond repair. Here is how we deal with different types of fire damage: 

  • Complex fire: When natural and synthetic items in your property have burned, they produce black smoke residues that settle on contents and surfaces. The valuables also cause synthetic smoke odors in the house. Our technicians perform emergency corrosion mitigation to protect the surfaces.
  • Protein fire: When food rich in protein burns in the oven or stove, it leaves behind a persisting odor and smoke residues on surfaces. Since the residues are oily, SERVPRO technicians can use concentrated wood oil soap to clean soot from wooden surfaces. 

What should I expect during the restoration process? 

Fire can damage various surfaces of your property. Each surface may need a specialized cleaning technique. In some extreme cases, the fire damage may not be visible if it occurred behind walls. We take the following steps to restore homes. 

  • Thorough inspection: Our technicians inspect a property to determine the intensity of the damage. Once we complete our initial assessment, our technicians can explain the restoration process.
  • Stop further damage: Our technicians can remove your valuable items from the affected property to prevent additional damage. We can repack your dishes in clean newsprint. If the firefighters used water to combat the flames, we could use light wands to extract the carpet's water.
  • Clean up: Fire and smoke residues react with different surfaces, especially when mixed with water. Our technicians can use various advanced cleaning agents and hi-tech equipment to salvage your flooring, furniture, and other valuable items. We can use a glass cleaner to clean soot from your window glass and Formica surfaces.  

If a fire has ruined your property, contact SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills at (818) 998-1500. We can handle the fire loss effectively to make it "Like it never even happened." 

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Flames Engulfed Part of My Kitchen and Smoke Spread to Other Rooms. Who Can Help Me Restore My Home?

7/8/2020 (Permalink)

Cooking accidents happen often but the foul odors can remain for a long time. Contact SERVPRO for efficient remediation services.

Hire a Reputable Firm Like SERVPRO to Perform Fire Damage Restoration in Your Winnetka Property 

Fire leaves most property owners stranded on where to begin after the firefighters leave their homes. Professional restorers can help minimize the secondary damage of a fire and get your Winnetka property to its pre-emergency state in a brief period. Attempting to clean the affected area yourself can lead to additional damage since you may lack the proper skills and equipment to handle the loss.

How long does the restoration process take?

Our team of technicians has years of experience and access to advanced equipment and tools to handle the fire damage in your Winnetka home. With our advanced equipment and effective techniques, we can restore your property in a brief period. Depending on the severity of the damage, our SERVPRO technicians can take less than seven days to get your property to its preloss state.

Can you clean my kitchen appliances? 

Appliances are usually made of materials such as:

Metal

Plastic

Formica

These materials are nonabsorbent, making it easy for our technicians to clean. We can use a wall and all surface cleaner, a water-based detergent to wipe away the smoke residues on their surfaces.

Can you handle the entire restoration process?

We offer a full service and comprehensive solution to fire damage. Therefore, you can trust our SERVPRO team to mitigate the damage and reconstruct the affected areas. We have a contracting division that can offer construction solutions in specific niches such as electrical, plumbing, and drywall reinstallation. Hiring one restoration company can help you save time and money.

How do you deal with persisting odors?

Smoke can travel even in hard to reach areas. Our technicians can use thermal fog deodorants to remove the odors. Thermal fog deodorizers are a blend of aromatic phenolics and odor counteractants. We use a thermal fogger to apply the products and allow them to work overnight. This enables the products to penetrate affected materials, including those in the hard to reach areas.

If a fire has damaged your home, call SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills at (818) 998-1500 to help you bring things back to normal. We’re Faster To Any Size Disaster.

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Do You Know How to Remediate Fire Damage in West Hills?

4/13/2020 (Permalink)

SERVPRO knows how to restore fire damaged homes. Call us today!

Count on SERVPRO Restoration Services After Fire Damage in Your West Hills Home 

Whenever you suffer a fire loss in your home, the impact becomes much worse if effects begin to spread throughout the structure. It may be possible to contain a building fire to one area of the home, but open pathways and traffic throughout after the loss tend to bring smoke, soot, and other odors into other rooms. To prevent such cross-contamination, our team at SERVPRO executes the most cost-efficient and practical plan to tackle damage recovery. 

After our skilled technicians arrive at the scene, we work to reduce the amount of cross-contamination in your home after fire damage in West Hills. The crew chief initiates a walkthrough to scope the damage, and then the plan for restoration is formulated. Our SERVPRO team wears shoe coverings to keep smoke and soot residue from being tracked throughout unsoiled areas. We make all efforts to ensure our recovery work is as efficient as possible.

 Creating Barriers  

It is vital to cut down on the infiltration of soot and smoke by putting up containment barriers in strategic areas throughout your home. Plastic sheeting creates temporary walls to keep odors, contaminants, and aerosolized soot particles from getting into unexposed regions of the house. Proper containment zones help prevent these elements from spreading. Still, they also act as areas for our skilled technicians to store dirty equipment or remove soiled clothing until the restoration project is complete.

Build Backs 

Should your home’s structure be compromised, we focus on preparing different zones for controlled deconstruction and renovation. Within this phase, our SERVPRO team avoids soiling unaffected areas by cleaning wherever possible before our trusted construction partners arrive to work on the remodeling and repairs after the fire loss. 

We understand how crucial it is to inhibit further damage from soot and smoke after your home suffers fire damage. Our trained teams know how to plan out work areas so that your project goes off without a hitch. Call us today at SERVPRO of Canoga Park/West Hills at (818) 998-1500 to have a team deployed to your home to make it “Like it never even happened.” 

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Wet Cleaning vs. Dry Cleaning after Fire Damage in West Hills

1/20/2020 (Permalink)

Call SERVPRO for any Fire Damage remediation your home needs. We are available day and night.

Cleaning Methods For Your West Hills Home After a Fire Incident

After a house fire, one of the significant issues is often the cleanup. If not handled correctly, you can end up with a bigger mess and longer-lasting odors by using the incorrect methods to clean your home. Not only do your possessions (contents) such as your clothing require cleaning before you can wear them again, but you also need to clean the structure itself during the restoration process.

If your home experienced fire damage in West Hills, you might be overwhelmed with the process of getting your house back to its preloss condition. After everyone is safely out of the house, and it is secure by boarding or tarping any exposed areas, restoration specialists get to work cleaning the structure of your home. They may also remove some of your personal belongings for off-site care.

The structure is any part of the house that is permanent. This includes walls, ceilings, floors, doors, and windows are all part of the structure. Structural components include things that are not easily removed, such as bath and light fixtures, the heating and cooling system (HVAC), and cabinets. Cleaning the structure and its components pose unique challenges. The goal is to return the home to the preloss condition, which means removing the lasting effects of the fire damage, including removing smoke residues and stubborn odors.

The SERVPRO restoration team creates a plan, including methods of structural cleaning. After creating the plan, small areas of each building material or item get tested to ensure the correct method of cleaning. By testing, the team determines which materials are washable and which are non-washable. If a porous item is non-washable, using a water-based cleaning product may result in damaging or staining the item further, so they use a dry method such as dry sponge cleaning.

Technicians also examine the types of residues left by the fire to determine if a wet or dry clean is more appropriate. If there is an oil or grease residue from a kitchen fire, dry solvent cleaning is often the best choice even though water-based products may not damage the material. It is an essential part of the plan to determine the appropriate way to clean each material within the home.

For 24/7 assistance after a house fire, contact SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills at (818) 998-1500.

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How Fire Damage Poses Safety Risks for West Hills Homes

12/9/2019 (Permalink)

Areas of your home untouched by flames can have structural damage. Safety is important! Contact professionals for fire damage restoration.

Staging and Hazard Assessment for West Hills Homes  

Creating the most efficient approach for mitigation and emergency services in your fire-damaged West Hills home is critical. One of the effective means of maximizing our output is through staging areas that can support the storage of our equipment and products throughout the phases of mitigation that begin as soon as our team arrives. This unaffected area of your home can be a more accessible location for the tools, devices, and products the SERVPRO restorers on-site need to make fire losses “Like it never even happened.”  

Staging areas are a common element to most of the fire loss recoveries. Still, before the restoration of fire damage in West Hills houses can begin, we must also inspect potential hazards. The safety of our technicians and the occupants of the house is a paramount priority of our team, and that is why risk assessment and management become integrated with the initial scoping of the job completed by our crew chief and production manager before work begins. During this evaluation of the property, we look for common threats that exist after many structure fires.  

  • Structural weaknesses that could collapse or fall apart
  • Slip or trip hazards that exist before fire debris removal has taken place. 
  • Exposed electrical elements or water intruding into charged items and outlets that pose shock threats. 
  • Dark areas that could have unforeseen risks 

We must also consider if anyone still on site is at risk for exposure to damaging conditions. Air quality threats are a common threat in this regard, as the presence and circulation of soot and smoke particles can cause health effects with direct exposure. Our SERVPRO team arrives with sufficient personal protective equipment to begin mitigation safely and encourage occupants of the house to vacate until our professionals can manage these risks adequately.  

As threatening as fire loss incidents can be for your home, they can be a dangerous situation if we do not take appropriate precautions to assess potential risk. You can count on fire recovery to be thorough with our SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills team. Contact us whenever you need us at (818) 998-1500.  

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West Hills Home Under a Smoke Attact after a Fire? Rely on SERVPRO for Restoration, "Like it never even happened."

9/26/2019 (Permalink)

SERVPRO Says Be Careful with Kitchen Cooking to Prevent Fire and Smoke Damage to Your West Hills Home. Turn off that burner!

Fire and Smoke Damage West Hills – It Can Happen So Easily

Here is a nightmare scenario. Supper is over, and it is time to clean up the dishes. A gas burner remained on a low setting. The kitchen is hot from cooking, and no one notices the hot burner. Everyone is in a hurry. The parents go out for a drink. One daughter is babysitting. The other daughter is home studying in her bedroom when the fire alarm goes off. A plastic cutting board remained on the hot burner.

SERVPRO responds to fire damage events in West Hills and surrounding areas for both small fires as well as those that cause catastrophic damage. We can help restore your home after the fire is out, and the fire department has left. The couple who left the burner on is fortunate. A quick-thinking neighbor threw the cutting board into the sink before there was much damage.

Fire Department Responds
When the fire department arrived with four trucks, the fire was out, and the house was full of smoke. After assessing the situation, the firemen suggested placing a large box fan in the kitchen window to exhaust some of the noxious fumes. This couple was fortunate that there was so little damage. However, what about the smoke damage from the burned plastic cutting board?

Potentially Toxic Gases
It is difficult to know what gases are emitted while the cutting board was smoldering. Some of the gases can be quite toxic. These include carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, and hydrogen chloride.

Ventilation and Odor Removal
SERVPRO recommends for this situation that the home should be well ventilated and that all surfaces cleaned of any residue.
In more challenging situations, technicians may need to wear air-filtered masks for severely damaged conditions. Consider a professional cleaning to eliminate the soot and pungent odors from your home. These smells can remain for months until corrected mitigated. Air scrubbers and hydroxyl generators and even thermal fogging may be required.

Call SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills at (818) 998-1500 for 24/7 service. We proudly serve Winnetka, Bell Canyon, and surrounding areas. We're Faster To Any Size Disaster.

Pop Quiz: Do You Know How To Restore Your Home After Fire Damage?

9/9/2019 (Permalink)

Any type of fire in the kitchen can quickly cause extensive fire damage. Contact SERVPRO right after the firefighters leave.

West Hills Home Needs Help After Tabletop Grill Fire

The kitchen is one of the most common areas homeowners experience fire damage in their residences. The oven, stovetop and indoor grills are frequently the instigators in pungent kitchen fires.

Fire damage in a West Hills home from a protein fire is one of the most challenging types of loss we deal with. One of the main reasons is that this type of fire does not look overly damaging on the surface. It burns without creating much in the way of traditional dark smoke damage but instead turns the protein of the foodstuff that is the catalyst of the blaze into a light, greasy mist that coats all surfaces in the vicinity. When prompt removal of this film does not occur, the odor remains and grows.

SERVPRO answered a call to come to a local home where an indoor electric grill overheated and caused a fire. The homeowner cleaned up the mess from the small fire and water from fire extinguishing, but a pungent odor remained, and he wanted the room professionally mitigated.

Our technicians scoped the room to ensure no excessive areas of moisture remained and got to work identifying areas that still contained residue from the fire. We also advised the homeowner since the HVAC was on since the fire, the ductwork likely needed cleaning as well.

After cleaning all surfaces to ensure we removed the smelly residues left behind, our certified odor control technicians worked on removing the lingering odors from the residence.  Standard applications SERVPRO uses are: 

  • Hydroxyl generators
  • Air scrubbers
  • Thermal fogging units
  • Time-release gel pellets
  • Complete ductwork and HVAC cleaning

When you have fire damage in your kitchen or any area of your home, call SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills at (818) 998-1500. Our certified emergency response team is available 24/7, and we arrive within an hour of your call because We're Faster to Any Size Disaster.

Click here to see more about West Hills. 

We Put The Flames Of Worry Out In Winnetka After A Fire Disaster

7/3/2019 (Permalink)

We have the experience, advanced training, and state-of-the-art equipment to restore your home after a fire.

Neglecting to Clean Your Toaster Can Lead to Fire Damage in Your Winnetka Home

Many kitchen appliances can cause fire damage in your home, but toasters are often overlooked. As anyone knows, a toaster dries out the surface of the bread slices inside as it heats up. Any crumbs that fall to the bottom of the device can begin to build up and make a mound of kindling. As the toaster heats up, and the crumbs begin to build up so high that they're close to the heating panels, a fire could start. For this reason, it's essential to regularly clean out devices that could be a fire hazard if left unchecked. 

When it comes to the fire damage in your Winnetka kitchen, you were close enough to extinguish it quickly. However, during the blaze, your toaster was ruined, and the wall behind it became caked with soot. The stain on your wall is unsightly, and the smell from the fire in your kitchen is unpleasant. In order to have these problems corrected, it would be wise to reach out for professional help as soon as possible.

When you call SERVPRO, we always make sure to send our technicians to your home swiftly. While you wait, you can focus on opening up windows in your kitchen to try and disperse some of the unpleasant odor. Furthermore, you could also throw away the ruined toaster.

When SERVPRO arrives, our technicians can get to work right away. We ensure that all of our technicians are certified by the Institution of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration. Additionally, they have gone through many training scenarios to prepare them for any challenges they find on the job.

Our techs can begin by setting up an air scrubber equipped with carbon filters. The device pulls airborne particles into it and filters out anything undesirably before releasing the "clean air" back into the atmosphere, dealing with the unpleasant odor. From there, SERVPRO can use a lubricative cleaning solution designed to lift soot and grime away from the surface it is attached to while also doing minimal fire damage to the paint layer underneath. Once finished, our technicians can return your kitchen to you, "Like it never even happened."

When a small fire happens inside of your home, it is always wise to get help. Speak with SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills by phoning (818) 998-1500. No matter when you call, we're available to help you.

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We Understand That Prompt Fire Damage Restoration Is Crucial In West Hills

5/2/2019 (Permalink)

We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so don't hesitate and call us right away to prevent further damage.

A Malfunctioning Hair Dryer Can Cause a Fire in Your West Hills Home

Your morning routine can find itself very interrupted when fire damage makes an unexpected appearance. Getting ready for work every morning tends to involve a shower, drying your hair, and then using skincare and hair products. However, when your hair dryer electrically malfunctions and catches fire, you may find that the plastics of the dryer have melted onto your vanity. Additionally, the blaze can also destroy your cosmetic products as well, turning them into a molten, greasy, and bubbly mess.

As the fire damage inside of your West Hills bathroom begins to cool, it can become even harder for professionals to remediation it without any issues cropping up. For this reason, it is essential to call for professional help as soon as you possibly can, once the fire has been extinguished. The quicker that professionals can arrive, the better it is for your home.

When you contact SERVPRO, we always put together a team of technicians and then swiftly send them to your home. Promptly arriving is essential in our line of work, as fire damage is time sensitive. Once we get there, our SERVPRO techs can immediately launch into an investigation of the damages and then create a remediation plan accordingly.

SERVPRO can start by taking inventory of every product that was consumed by the fire, so you know what you lost. From there, we can remove any plastic bits, which were leftover from the cosmetic products and the hairdryer. Without all of the burned clutter, it is a lot easier to address the rest of the damage.

The smoke from the fire caked soot onto your pristinely white vanity and blackened it. SERVPRO can use lubricative cleaning solutions to lift the grime away from the surface, by applying a simple spray-and-wipe method. It may take several repeats of this step to get the sink back to its pre-fire state but, over time, the grime can be lifted away layer by layer.

Once all the physical evidence of your small fire has been removed, including soot on the mirror, walls, and door, all that remains is to remove the malodor left behind. SERVPRO has several options when it comes to removing the burning-plastic scent in the air but, for this job, our technicians can use hydroxyl generators to change the particles in the air that cause the odor in the first place. Once finished, we can return your home to you, "Like it never even happened."

When fire damage interrupts your life, never wait to get it back on track. Speak with SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills by dialing (818) 998-1500. Day or night, we're always ready to assist you.

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Smoke, Ashe, and Soot Problems after a Fire in Your West Hills Home? Easy Choice--Call SERVPRO for Cleanup and Restoration

3/13/2019 (Permalink)

West Hills House Fire? There is No Match for SERVPRO's Cleanup and Restoration

Fire Damage Technicians From West Hills Explain Soot Removal Techniques

Burning candles is an activity that could cause a fire to take place inside your West Hills home. When candles get hot, they can burn flammable items next to them and cause fire damage to take place. If candles get knocked down onto the floor, then they could ignite your carpet. If an unfortunate occurance ever does happen to cause a burning inside your house, it is wise to call a professional fire damage restoration company such as SERVPRO.
 
When items burn inside a house, the smoke coming from the burnt materials can cause different issues other than those caused by the heat and flames. During most fire damage projects in West Hills, our SERVPRO technicians deal with the removal of soot and soils created by smoke as much as, if not more than problems related to burnt items. When smoke travels through a building, it solidifies when coming into contact with cooler surfaces like your ceilings and walls. The result is then, the presence of soils and soot residues. Since fires all burn different materials, various types of soot can exist.
 
During any restoration project, our SERVPRO estimators arrive at your residence with a test kit. The testing kit helps us determine which items got negatively affected by smoke and what methods will work best to clean them. During the initial estimate, we utilize different chemicals to figure out which items we can save and clean and which items will need to be removed and replaced.
 
Since soot affects materials differently, we utilize several different methods to clean off the soils and ashes. For example, when cleaning more porous materials like softwoods, dry sponges get used to clean off soot. Dry cleaning methods work best for porous materials because water could make the damage worse by soaking the soot deeper into the materials. Harder, non-porous materials such as tile can be wiped and cleaned with powerful water-based detergents.
 
If you ever notice the presence of soot residues after contents or structural elements inside your house burn, call SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills at (818) 998-1500 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

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Canoga Park Grapples with The Woolsey Wildfire—SERVPRO Helps

11/13/2018 (Permalink)

Canoga Park and the Woolsey Wildfire Being Extinguished by Our Brave Firefighters and Pilots

Fast Restoration for Your Fire-Damaged Canoga Park Home

With evacuations throughout the area, many residents sought refuge from the devastating Woolsey Wildfire in Canoga Park Senior High School while firefighters worked day and night to suppress its spread and progression. Homes throughout the area have gotten destroyed, substantially damaged, and otherwise adversely affected by this catastrophe and now seek professional restoration assistance to overcome the damages.

With many homeowners getting their first look at how Woolsey affected their Canoga Park property, many do not fully understand the effectiveness and efficiency available to them from our skilled technicians. Our IICRC-certified fire restoration technicians have the equipment and the expertise to handle everything from reconstruction preparation to premier cleanup and deodorization efforts.

Some homes were regrettably directly in the path of the fire, consuming them entirely. Many other properties experienced a degree of structural damage that must get removed to rebuild and restore the home entirely. Our SERVPRO technicians can help to prepare your property for these reconstruction efforts through our controlled demolition techniques that remove only the unsalvageable materials to make the contracting work as efficient as possible.

Our premier cleaning services can help to overcome soot, debris, soil, and ash throughout the interior of your home. With deep cleaning equipment for carpets, fabrics, and furniture, we can help to preserve these elements. Our high-powered vacuums can help to remove set in debris and soot from surfaces, as well as eliminate contaminants and particulates trapped in your HVAC system.

The SERVPRO professionals that get dispatched to the emergency in your home have the skills and the equipment to overcome smoke and odors as well. Our air scrubbers and thermal foggers can work to both clean the environment throughout the affected areas of your home and neutralize harsh odors that get trapped inside.

Woolsey has affected many properties throughout the past week, and there are damages yet to get calculated. Do not wait to get the help that you need. Trust our SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills fire restoration specialists to help you restore your fire-damaged home quickly. Give us a call anytime at (818) 998-1500.

Local efforts for supplies after the wildfire here

Removing the Effects of Fire Damage in Winnetka Neighborhoods

8/27/2018 (Permalink)

Smoky Odors after a House Fire in Winnetka? Call SERVPRO to Improve Indoor Air Quality

Winnetka Homeowners Confront Odors after a Fire Loss and Call SERVPRO for Cleanup and Recovery

Say the word ‘fire,’ and every Winnetka resident flinches. The recent wildfires in our area brought home the threat locally to many who thought this was only an issue for Northern California.
 
Despite these significant threats, most Winnetka fire damage does not involve major destruction. Often, SERVPRO restoration teams spend as much effort on eliminating odors which can prevent owners and residents from living in their homes without discomfort as they do on other issues.
 
Smoke residues generate odors as fire cools and extinguishes. If an item of personal or structural property, a sofa or drywall panel, for example, cannot be cleaned, team members remove it from home immediately. This initial step is important, since removing affected property reduces the strength of the odors, and allows our technicians to determine better what they need to clean the home.
 
Cleaning residues from affected surfaces eliminate the majority of odors in a home. Even a tiny amount of odor-causing particles can generate an unpleasant smell throughout the home. Depending on the type of residue, SERVPRO technicians use a combination of chemical cleaners, sponge, and scrub brushes to remove them.
 
If the residues are dry and powdery, then team members can wipe them away quickly and with sponges and maybe a mild cleaner. For wet, sticky residues, they need a stronger cleaning agent and perhaps a scrub brush to agitate and break them up for removal.
 
When odor-causing particles penetrate the surface of a property item, then technicians may have to recreate the conditions of how that happened to clean them. Since the particles first settled as part of the fire’s smoke, our teams can use a fog machine to generate a cloud of chemical cleaner particles that can penetrate to the same depth as the original smoke particles, neutralizing them completely.
 
If there are still lingering odors after cleaning the home, technicians can either remove more property for disposal or off-site cleaning or seal the surfaces to prevent further release of odor-causing particles. For odors trapped behind walls, and if the owner does not want to replace framing or other support structures, then our teams use paint with an odor-blocker to seal off the affected area.
 
Our goal, after every fire, is to return each home to its original, odor-free condition. If you need us, call SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills at (818) 998-1500.

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Fire Damage Experts In Bell Canyon Discuss Problems With HVAC Systems

6/18/2018 (Permalink)

SERVPRO Provides the Resources to Purge Home HVAC Systems from Smoke, Soot, and Odors After a Fire in Bell Canyon

Migrating Smoke, Soot, and Odors within Ventilation Systems Typically Need Cleaning and Restoring

Whenever a fire burns inside a Bell Canyon building, heat and smoke can both cause extensive damage. Once a blaze ignites, it burns materials as fuel starting from the source until the flames get extinguished. As the fire spreads, solids turn to gas or combust at different rates. Partially combusted materials disperse throughout the structure in the form of smoke and soot particles.
 
Smoke can penetrate items making them produce pungent odors, whereas soot residues can adhere to surfaces and ruin the finish on an object. During fire damage mitigation in Bell Canyon, cleaning and removing soot is essential to make the home odor-free and to save items from being discarded. Before work begins, our SERVPRO technicians inspect any building materials and contents that may have been affected by smoke. Once all affected areas inside the house are found, we choose the proper cleaning method for the specific type of soot present.
 
One structural component that gets inspected after any burn damage takes place is the building's heating ventilation and air conditioning or HVAC system. If soot particles get inside the ventilation system, then it is possible that residues can travel through the home's vents and affect areas far away from the fire's source. During any restoration project where smoke was present, our SERVPRO technicians inspect the ductwork to see if residues exist. If there are soot residues present inside the ductwork, then the HVAC system may require cleaning.
 
When cleaning HVAC systems, we start by removing and cleaning all vent registers and air intakes. Then, we wipe all accessible surfaces on the inside of the ducting with specialized soot removal chemicals. Next, we vacuum out the inside of the ducting to remove any soot or dust particles. If problems are severe enough, our SERVPRO restoration crew can clean the ducts with an ultra-low volume fogging system.
 
When using a ULV fogger, the idea is to recreate the way that smoke got into the HVAC system in the first place. The machine gets filled with duct sealing and deodorization chemicals that get fogged into the building's vents. If you ever need help with smoke-related issues, call SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills at (818) 998-1500 any time of the day.

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Caring for Your Home's Appliances After Fire Damage Happens in Your West Hills Property

4/20/2018 (Permalink)

SERVPRO uses special cleaning agents to restore your appliances after fire damage.

SERVPRO Restores Your Home and Belongings after Fire Damage

Like other families in West Hills, yours relies on the appliances found throughout your home to make their lives more pleasant. During a fire, these expensive items can become covered in soot and grime. These surfaces, made from highly durable materials, can still become marred and dulled if soot remains on them too long.

West Hills properties that sustain fire damage often exhibit signs of such damage everywhere in the home. Appliances can seem much worse until we clean them. Using special cleaning agents, we clean the soot and other residues from their surfaces. Immediately after, we rinse them to remove any remaining chemicals. The same chemicals that revealed the sheen of your appliances can eventually mar them with pitting and etching if allowed to remain without rinsing or wiping away from the surface.

Before cleaning the surfaces, we unplug every unit to prevent electrical shock. Our IICRC certified technicians also clean the cords, and check for cracks, melted areas, or other situations, making a note of any defects. We partner with qualified electronics and appliance repair technicians who can inspect your appliances before we plug them back into the electrical socket. We need to know for insurance purposes which items remain working and which ones require replacements. We keep written records of these to aid you in your claims-making process.

Appliances can include smaller items, such as food processors, coffee makers, and sewing machines. Computers often require extensive repair work after a fire just because of the heat. We recommend waiting for an electronic repair technician or specialist to examine your computer and other sensitive electronic equipment before attempting to use them. Soot can enter into these items and cause extensive damage. Many times, fires cause the electricity in the home to fail, which can turn off such items, preserving them and protecting them from soot by turning off their fans. Turning them on too soon can cause serious problems.

SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills wants to help you restore every aspect of your home after a fire to help make everything "Like it never even happened." Calling our local number, (818) 998-1500, starts the process of repairing your home, down to the appliances that helped make your house a home for your family. Fire damage and other disasters can take a heavy toll on a family, but we are here to help out when you need us the most.

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Notify the Experts of West Hills after Fire Damages Your Home

3/9/2018 (Permalink)

A fire in your kitchen can leave behind different types of soot deposits and smoke damage requiring specific cleaning techniques.

SERVPRO Fire Damage Experts Can Properly Clean the Different Types of Damage in Your Home

It is always a frightening situation when a fire starts in your West Hills kitchen. The first step is to make sure your family and your pets get out of harm's way. Next, the fire usually gets extinguished by either you or the fire department in extreme situations.

Now it is time for you to assess the damage the blaze caused to your home. At this point, it is a good idea to call in SERVPRO's fire damage specialists of West Hills. Sometimes damage caused by a fire is not as apparent as you may think.

Our technicians are IICRC certified and have years of experience repairing damage caused by heat, flames, and smoke. Our crews study the theory of fire and make themselves experts in fire behavior. We know how a fire inside a structure acts, giving us the ability to find all of the damaged areas.

After a blaze, two different types of damage are found inside burnt buildings; burning or charring and soot deposits. Sometimes building and structural materials get charred or burned. In this case, the materials get sanded down and treated or replaced.

Heat from the flames sometimes partially burns items and causes soot. Other times smoke from the blaze leaves soot deposits in areas of the home other than the source. After a burn, there are a few different types of smoke residues that get left behind on surfaces throughout your home.

Usually, smoke gets classified as being either wet or dry. Dry smoke comes from fast burning, hot blazes that burn natural materials. Wet smoke gets generated from cooler, slow-burning fires that burn synthetic materials such as rubber or plastic.

When a fire starts in your kitchen, most times, some food is the fuel source. When food burns, yellow or amber-colored protein soot residues remain. When the burn is related to an oil burner, fuel oil soot exists.

Each type of soot takes a different process to clean and remediate the problem. When dealing with cleaning soot residues, it is smart to call SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills at (818) 998-1500 for help 24/7.

Click here for more information on the West Hills area.

Expertly Trained Fire Damage Technicians Offer Quality Services in Winnetka

2/6/2018 (Permalink)

Regardless of the level of fire damage your home experienced, contact SERVPRO for remediation services for great results.

SERVPRO Technicians Put Together a Unique Plan to Remediate Damage After a Fire in Your Home

Different kinds of damage can occur as the structure or contents of your Winnetka property burns. Starting with the partial or complete destruction of those consumed during the combustion process. However, secondary damage develops from the heat and smoke residues, profoundly impacting materials found throughout your home.

Every fire is different, requiring the deployment of unique restoration procedures to limit a variety of losses you might experience from fire damage in your Winnetka area home. Water or other extinguishing agents used to fight the fire in your home can cause more damage while other materials suffer burning or charring, depending on their proximity to the flames.

An expertly trained IICRC technician, like those offered at SERVPRO, can assess fire damage found on your property to provide you with a detailed plan to address the level of each item of loss. We help you understand the type of restoration services required to restore your home successfully and provide you with full-scale solutions that return your home to a quality pre-fire damage condition.

At SERVPRO, we describe fire damage of three levels – Minor, Medium, and Major. The materials, size, duration, and type of fire affecting your home change how our technicians approach the situation. However, some basic rules of thumb remain the same, allowing us the opportunity to prepare for the overall process beforehand, and provide you with fast, efficient services 24-hours a day, 7-days a week.

  • Minor Fire Damage – The amount of smoke residue is light to moderate, only affecting specific rooms or areas.
  • Medium Fire Damage – The amount of smoke residue is moderate, and more materials require wet cleaning, repainting, or replacement.
  • Major Fire Damage – Heat from the fire caused severe damage to structural framing and finishes, leaving charring, staining, and additional scoring throughout.

Depending on the situation, SERVPRO technicians can deploy both dry and wet cleaning methods to your ceilings, walls, floors, and other contents. Your floors may need refinishing, drywall, cabinets, and contents require additional replacement while most instances require deodorization procedures after cleaning.

Contact SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills for a full explanation of our available cleaning and restoration services, or to request an initial inspection of your home, today. (818) 998-1500

Click here for more about Winnetka. 

Crimped Cords And Electrical Shorts Can Lead To Fire Damage In West Hills

12/22/2017 (Permalink)

Fires can originate anywhere and at any time in your home.

Fire Caused By Crimped Cords And Electrical Shorts

Electricity plays such a significant role in our daily lives, including leisurely activities at home and using different machines at work and school. Without electricity to run these items for us, West Hills would not feel the same to us. However, we take the use of these powered items for granted and rarely think about the dangers of electrical power.

When using items like curling irons, computer printers, or the dishwasher in your West Hills home, the idea that those items could cause fire damage probably crosses your mind only on rare occasions. However, using these items when cords show visible damage can quickly cause problems.

Another aspect of electricity that causes problems is when cords become twisted and tangled while stored away in a drawer. Tangling like this can produce breaks in the wiring inside. While it may seem to work fine at providing electricity to your appliance, these minor breaks can soon become hotter than usual. Melted cords can pose shock hazards in addition to the fire hazard they create.

Electrical shorts inside appliances and within wall outlets can create fires. You should never try to extinguish this type of fire by using water as the electricity can travel to you and cause serious injuries. If an appliance begins smoking, melting, or burning, unplugging it by firmly grasping the plug and removing it from the wall can save your home.

If an outlet starts to smoke and produces flames, you need to shut off the main electrical breaker as quickly as possible. This should extinguish the fire, but if materials inside the wall have caught fire, it might continue burning. This situation requires a call to the local fire department. Making sure your cords can also bear the electrical load pulled can help prevent this situation in the first place.

Fires can originate anywhere and at any time in your home. Fire damage should always receive professional mitigation, so future fire risks decrease. SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills can help you restore your home after any fire. Contact us at (818) 998-1500 to reach our 24-hour service, every day of the year.

Visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Hills,_Los_Angeles for more about West Hills.

Mitigating Fire Damage In Your Canoga Park Area Home

8/31/2017 (Permalink)

Fire Prevention and Mitigation in Canoga Park with the Aid of SERVPRO's ERP

SERVPRO's ERP Plan Reduces Damages and Cost with a Fast Service

Every home is susceptible to fire damage, regardless of its location. Accidents occur on a regular basis that makes having a pre-existing relationship with a trusted restoration team an absolute must for the majority of homeowners in the Canoga area.

There are a variety of mistakes you can make after experiencing fire damage on your Canoga Park area property that leads to additional damages, or injury. Before re-entering your home after a fire occurs, contact your local SERVPRO for help. We can advise you avoid hazards that may exist and enter your home properly to reduce secondary damages that develop from how someone might handle particular types of materials.

We understand how precious your home is and make every effort to limit the losses you experience. SERVPRO technicians utilize a restore versus replacement attitude throughout the restoration process, treating each of your contents with care, and using a variety of methods to recover many items you might consider destroyed during the event.

There are a variety of methods available that help you obtain assistance after a disaster occurs on your property. You can notify our office directly, providing information about the scope of the problem, or you can take advantage of our Emergency READY Program and plan ahead. Creating an ERP Emergency Ready Profile through our mobile app that is available on any phone, tablet, or home PC can make a huge difference in the amount of time it takes to respond to your request for help.

The mobile app helps provide you with a method of cataloging belongings and filling out insurance paperwork necessary to get your restoration started. It identifies SERVPRO as your emergency service provider and helps provide information that makes it easier to begin work on your property. The app connects you directly to your local office and provides technicians with access to information they might not have otherwise.

Having a pre-existing relationship with a company you trust gives you a better chance at recovering quickly during an emergency. Our services are available 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, making us ready anytime you need us.  

Contact SERVPRO of Canoga Park to receive assistance throughout the surrounding area, including West Hills, today. (818) 998-1500

Info on education in Canoga Park here.

Fire Damage Classes Explained

9/19/2016 (Permalink)

Being trained on how to use a fire extinguisher can be very helpful. Call SERVPRO to remediate any fire or associated water damage!

SERVPRO Can Remediate any Class of Fire Damage

When you call and report a fire, one of their questions will be – what caused the fire? The reason for this question is for the first-responders. Firefighters and EMS personnel will need to know how they will fight the fire and how to treat any injuries. Fires are fought based on many different factors, such as its source, its size, and types of things surrounding its location.
 
In September, fire damage in the Canoga Park area occurred when our neighborhood homeless shelter was extremely damaged by a fire that broke out behind the building. The shelter's wall, patio, and appliances storing food were destroyed. Thanks to our wonderful community, everyone came together and are helping to restore this great organization.
 
Fires are fought based on their class and category. The different classes of fires and how they are best contained are identified below:
 
• Class A Fires: These fires leave ash from items such as wood and paper. Water helps to extinguish these fires.
 
• Class B Fires: These fires are classified as combustible. This includes gasoline, oil, etc. These fire fighting techniques must use a chemical that smothers their effects, taking oxygen away from it.
 
• Class C Fires: These fires are caused by electrical sources. Carbon dioxide methods are used by firefighters to put the fires out quickly.

• Class D Fires: These fires are caused by metal objects exploding or combusting. A dry powder agent is best used to smother and take away its power of heat absorption so that it can be stopped before spreading.

• Class K Fires: These fires are the most common because they generally start in a kitchen. They are caused by cooking. Firefighters use a specialized extinguishing agent called Purple K, just like the kind in your fire extinguisher.

First-responders always advise homeowners and business owners to keep fire extinguishers nearby. Fire extinguishers are also sold in classes to help extinguish a fire in residential and/or commercial areas:

Class A: paper, wood, plastic, etc.
Class B: flammable liquids
Class C: flammable gases
Class D: metals (aluminum, titanium, magnesium, etc.)
Class E: electrical fires
Class F: cooking fires.
 
Fire extinguishers are extremely useful if you are near a small fire when it first erupts. However, if your fire is large and you have no control, call SERVPRO to help in your restoration process. We are locally owned and operated meaning that we live and work in the California community. We are professionally staffed with trained technicians and advanced fire restoration equipment. Contact us at any time.
 
SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for water, fire, mold or storm emergency disasters. You can count on us to be available whenever you need help. Call us today at (818) 998-1500 and let us introduce our remediation services.

Professional Fire Damage Restoration Services for West Hills

12/8/2015 (Permalink)

SERVPRO Says Smoky the Bear and YOU Can Prevent Fires

West Hills Fire Damage Info from SERVPRO

As industry experts know, house fires cost homeowners billions of dollars in damages each year. In many cases, residential property owners spend more than they have to on West Hills fire damage restoration because they do not hire high quality, fast-acting fire damage restoration services. However, you can avoid spending excess money on repairs by securing a team of trained remediation experts as soon as the fire is extinguished. SERVPRO offers the following to shed more light on the advantages of obtaining professional fire damage remediation help.

First Call to Your Insurance Company. Have an adjuster survey the damage and then okay repairs. SERVPRO, a preferred vendor for many insurance companies and management companies, can also meet with your adjuster to develop a cost-effective and comprehensive plan to restore your West Hills home and minimize the loss of personal possessions.

Fire Damage Restoration Professionals Utilize Specialized Equipment
Often large volumes of water must first be removed due to the extinguishing of the house fire. Heavy duty water pumps, wet vacs, and sump pumps are available on our trucks. Then powerful chemical cleansers, ozone generators, specialized air-moving machines, and industrial-strength dehumidifiers are employed for specific tasks. Remediation experts can use this equipment quickly and correctly to ensure that the restoration process is thorough and effective.

Multiple Contractors Speed Up The Fire Damage Restoration Process. Another benefit of procuring professional fire damage restoration services is that doing so speeds up the process. SERVPRO, along with its trained crews, can also work with outside contractors. Because multiple experts are working on structural repair aspects of the project simultaneously, the restoration completion time is shortened substantively. The fact that the restoration experts can focus on the cleanup work with expediency is important because eliminating excessive water mitigates the onset of mold growth. Preventing mold growth mitigates ongoing exposure to the fungi that may cause health concerns.

Choosing The Right Fire Damage Restoration Professionals
Look for a name of distinction to relieve the stress and limit your expenses.
• IICRC-certified professionals, water, smoke and soot cleanup
• an A+ Better Business Bureau (BBB rating)
• great online reviews
• a proven track record
• cutting edge equipment, Ultra Light Volume foggers to destroy (not mask) smoke odors, and then deodorize
• advanced methodologies, with on-site cleaning and facility storage and cleaning options
• comprehensive services, from start to completion you are in the loop with guaranteed results

Call SERVPRO Immediately if your West Hills property has been impacted by fire damage. Smoke and soot can often be the most problematic issues confronted.  Sometimes serious experience and equipment are needed to salvage your personal possessions and memorabilia. Trust SERVPRO to makes things right.

Locally Owned, with National Resources

SERVPRO of Canoga Park/West Hills is locally owned and operated so we are part of the West Hills community too. When you have a water or flood emergency, we’re already nearby and ready to help. (818) 998-1500