What Steps to Take After a Commercial Fire

10/6/2022 (Permalink)

If your Chandler, AZ commercial business has been affected by fire take the necessary steps to recover from this incident.

What Steps to Take After a Commercial Fire

When a fire breaks out on your commercial property, you may feel shocked and paralyzed. You may not know which steps to take first or even how to handle the situation. But, it's important to keep your wits about you in order to minimize the damage as much as possible and get your business back up and running as soon as possible. The following steps will help guide you through what needs to be done after a fire breaks out at your place of business.

Call the fire department.

Once you've made the decision to evacuate, the first thing you should do is call 911. Do not attempt to put out the fire yourself; this is what firefighters are trained for, and they will arrive quickly to help. As well, don't try to move any items from your property that may have been damaged in the flames—if you need something from inside your building and it's possible it could be damaged by smoke or heat exposure, wait until after firefighters have given the all-clear for reentry before entering.

Take stock of the damage.

Check for structural damage, including cracks in walls and ceilings, and damaged load-bearing walls. If necessary, hire an engineer to assess the integrity of your building structure before reoccupying it.

Inspect for fire damage, including soot on walls and smoke deposits that can indicate hidden flames or residual heat sources inside walls. This can be done by taking photographs of all surfaces or using a thermal imaging device to look at spots that may appear normal but actually have hidden problems below them (such as areas near electrical outlets).

Look for water damage from sprinklers or fire hoses and check entrances/exits to see if they are blocked by fallen debris (this could lead to evacuation issues).

Call your insurance company.

Once you've gotten your mind around the situation, it's time to call your insurance company. They'll want to know what happened and how much damage was done, so be prepared to give them all of the facts. Tell them about the fire itself: where it started, what time it started (if you know), whether or not there were any injuries involved, etc. Also, tell them about the extent of damage caused by this incident—how many square feet were affected, and which parts of your property were damaged?

When working with a fire damage restoration company such as SERVPRO of North Chandler, they will take care of this entire claims process for you.

Hire a fire damage restoration company.

A professional fire damage restoration contractor is essential for restoring your business after a devastating fire. The right contractor will bring the experience and know-how to make sure that your commercial property is brought back to life following a fire.

If you have ever been in this situation before, you know that having someone who knows what they're doing can save you time and money—not to mention help prevent further damage from occurring while working on your property.

Create a temporary space for your employees to work in while your business is being restored.

If you’re planning on reopening your business, you should have a plan in place for where you will work while the property is being restored. Your temporary workspace should be somewhere safe and accessible. It should also be comfortable enough that your employees are happy to work there. You may even want to consider renting office space or another location that has the equipment and resources necessary for running your business.

If your business in Chandler, AZ, has been affected by a fire, it can be a very stressful time for both you and your employees. It is important that you take the necessary steps to recover from this incident and get back up on your feet as soon as possible so that you can continue operating without interruption. We hope these tips help guide you through this difficult process!