Fire Damage Emergency Tips

What you can do until help arrives

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Stay Safe While Cooking in the Kitchen

Each season brings with it a bevvy of treasured memories, and often each memory has its own pleasant aroma tied to it.  If you’re not careful, though, there’s a chance a much more harmful aroma could invade your kitchen - smoke from a cooking fire. Consider the following tips (courtesy of the United States Fire Administration):

  • The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking.
  • Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food.
  • Stay alert!
  • Keep anything that can catch fire away from your stovetop.
  • Keep the stovetop, burners and oven clean.
  • Wear short, close-fitting or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking.


More home cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving day than on any other day of the year. Call us at SERVPRO of Stoneham/Wakefield at 781-245-0011 for all of your fire cleanup and restoration needs.

Have Smoke or Fire Damage? Call (781) 245-0011

What To Do After A Fire

  • Limit movement in the home to prevent soot particles from being embedded into upholstery and carpets.
  • Keep hands clean so as not to further soil upholstery, walls and woodwork.
  • Place clean towels or old linens on rugs, upholstery and carpet traffic areas.
  • If electricity is off, empty freezer and refrigerator and prop doors open.
  • Clean and protect chrome with light coating of petroleum jelly or oil.
  • Wash houseplants on both sides of leaves.
  • Change HVAC filter.
  • Tape double layers of cheesecloth over air registers.

What NOT To Do After A Fire

  • Don't attempt to wash any walls or painted surfaces or shampoo carpet or upholstery without contacting us.
  • Don't attempt to clean any electrical appliances that may have been close to fire, heat or water without consulting an authorized repair service.
  • Don't use any canned or packaged food or beverages that may have been stored near the fire, heat or water.
  • Don't turn on ceiling fixtures if ceiling is wet. The wiring may be damaged.
  • Don't send garments to an ordinary dry cleaner. Improper cleaning may set smoke odor.

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