A fire is two losses.
We handle both.
The first loss is the fire — the structure, the room, the visible damage. The second is the smoke and soot that touched everything else. We stabilize the property, contain the contamination, manage the contents, and rebuild what burned — and we bill your insurance directly, so the claim stays in your name.
On site in 60–90 minutes, serving Chicago and all surrounding suburbs. A project manager inspects free of charge — you approve the price before any work starts.
Fire is the headline. Smoke is the bigger job.
The structural fire damage is usually limited to one or two rooms. The soot and odor are everywhere the air moved. We’re built to handle both halves.
- 01
Emergency response
A project manager on site in 60–90 minutes, day or night. Board-up, tarping, and temporary power start as soon as you approve the scope and price.
- 02
Soot containment
Affected zones sealed off so contamination doesn’t migrate further during cleanup.
- 03
Surface cleanup
Walls, ceilings, framing — dry-soot HEPA vacuuming first, then chemical-sponge or wet methods where the material allows.
- 04
Odor neutralization
We treat the materials that absorbed the smoke instead of covering the smell. Hydroxyl, ozone, thermal fog — method matched to severity and material.
- 05
Contents protection
Salvageable items packed out and cleaned in-facility. Sentimental items handled separately, by request.
- 06
Documentation
Pre-mitigation photos, room-by-room scope, contents inventory — the documentation insurance companies ask for, built as we work.
- 07
Reconstruction
Same team rebuilds the affected rooms. No handoff to a separate contractor.
The questions that haven’t left your head since the fire.
Can anything be saved?
Usually more than you’d guess. Most homes we walk into after a fire have soot-coated belongings that look unrecoverable and end up restored. We’ll tell you what’s realistic before we pack anything out.
How does smoke odor actually go away?
Source-level neutralization, not perfume. We treat the materials that absorbed the smoke — drywall, insulation, fabric — and use hydroxyl or thermal fog on residual air contamination. If something can’t be deodorized, we tell you and replace it.
What does my insurance cover?
Coverage is between you and your insurance company — we can’t tell you what your policy pays. What we can do: bill your insurance directly, meet your adjuster on site, and document everything in the format insurance companies ask for. Most homeowners never pay more than their deductible.
Who coordinates the rebuild?
We do. The project manager who scoped the damage on day one is the same person who walks the trades through reconstruction. No second contractor inherits the job.
Fire claims are the most complicated. We’ve built the file before.
Fire claims involve more line items, more supplements, and more back-and-forth with the adjuster than any other kind of damage. We’ve built hundreds of these files. We document fire losses the way insurance companies need to see them — complete, in order, with a photo behind every line item.
See how the claim worksScope built to insurance-industry standard
Xactimate line-items, room-by-room, with proper trade sequencing — the format adjusters expect.
Supplements documented in writing
When scope grows mid-job, we submit the supplement with photos and notes before the work happens. No surprise invoices.
Contents and structure scoped together
Most fire claims have both. We coordinate them so your insurance company sees one coherent file instead of two disconnected estimates.
Direct adjuster communication
We negotiate our own scope and supplements with your adjuster, and we meet them on site. The claim stays in your name, and you never have to chase anyone.
Kitchen fire, whole-home soot, family back inside five weeks.
Kitchen fire with whole-home soot. Contents packed out and cleaned in-facility; partial reconstruction; family back in within five weeks.
Things people ask in the first 24 hours.
Do I need to leave the house?
Sometimes. Depends on smoke contamination, structural integrity, and utilities. We’ll assess on the site visit and tell you straight.
Are my electronics ruined?
Not necessarily. Soot is conductive and corrosive, so anything powered-on during the fire is high-risk. Items that were off are often recoverable with proper cleaning.
How long until we can move back in?
Light smoke jobs: 1–2 weeks. Whole-floor rebuilds: 6–12 weeks. Whole-home or major losses: 3–6 months. We give a real timeline at scope approval.
Can you save photos and keepsakes?
Often yes. We pull sentimental items first, clean them with the methods the material can handle, and store them separately. Tell us what matters most.
Will my furniture smell like smoke forever?
If it’s been properly cleaned and deodorized at the source, no. If it’s just been sprayed with cover-fragrance, yes. We do the former.
What about the parts of the house that didn’t burn?
Those usually have smoke contamination — the airflow during the fire pushes soot through HVAC, into closets, onto soft goods. We address the whole structure, including the rooms the fire never reached.
You don’t have to figure this out tonight. That’s our job.
If the fire is still burning, call 911. The minute the fire department releases the scene, call us — we answer 24/7. If you’re past the emergency, request a free estimate. Either way, a project manager comes to your door.