Case Study: East Midvale Kitchen Fire with Suppression Water Damage
Integrated fire damage restoration and Category 2 water damage restoration in an East Midvale 1980s two-story home following kitchen fire suppression event. Response involved coordinated fire and water damage restoration protocols including structural drying of extensive fire suppression water across kitchen, adjacent dining area, main-floor hallway, and cascading through hardwood flooring to lower-level family room ceiling, smoke damage remediation across affected floors, appliance replacement, kitchen cabinetry reconstruction, and coordination with Allstate homeowner policy for combined fire and water damage claim. 42-day full restoration timeline.
Project Snapshot
- Location: East Midvale area, Midvale (client name redacted per privacy agreement)
- Property type: 1980s two-story construction, ~3,400 sq ft, established East Midvale character
- Loss event: Kitchen fire from appliance electrical failure with fire department suppression response producing extensive water damage
- Water category: IICRC S500 Category 2 (fire suppression water containing combustion residue, soot, and firefighting foam residue)
- Affected areas: Kitchen (primary fire and water damage), adjacent dining area, main-floor hallway, cascade to lower-level family room ceiling, smoke damage across multiple floors
- Response time: 32 minutes from initial call to on-site response
- Project timeline: 42 days from response to full occupancy restoration
- Insurance coordination: Allstate homeowner policy for combined fire and water damage claim
The Event
Kitchen appliance electrical failure produced kitchen fire that was suppressed by fire department response within approximately 20 minutes of ignition. Fire damage was contained primarily to kitchen area including built-in appliances, cabinetry adjacent to appliance location, and kitchen ceiling area above appliance. Fire suppression water discharge from fire department response accumulated across kitchen hardwood flooring, spread into adjacent dining area, and cascaded through hardwood flooring assemblies to lower-level family room ceiling below. Additional smoke damage spread through main floor and upper floor through HVAC circulation before fire department response completed. Total affected area approximately 2,200 sq ft across multiple floors with combined fire, smoke, and water damage.
Response Protocol
Initial Response (First 6 Hours)
Response crew arrived on-site 32 minutes after initial call once fire department cleared scene. Initial actions included:
- Structural safety assessment following fire event including electrical isolation of affected kitchen circuits
- Emergency board-up and temporary weather protection where required
- Fire damage assessment separate from water damage assessment
- Coordinated emergency contents pack-out for smoke-affected contents across multiple floors and water-affected contents in kitchen, dining, and lower-level family room
- Initial water extraction using truck-mounted extraction units and portable extraction equipment
- Moisture mapping using Delmhorst BD-2100 pin meters and FLIR C5 thermal imaging with attention to fire-degraded material moisture
- Categorization confirmation (IICRC S500 Category 2 based on fire suppression water containing combustion residue, soot, and firefighting foam residue)
- Coordinated fire and water damage insurance claim initiation with Allstate
Structural Drying with Fire Damage Coordination (Days 2–14)
Combined fire and water damage response protocol:
- Deployment of 8 Dri-Eaz DrizAir 1200 desiccant dehumidifiers plus 4 Phoenix DryMAX XL LGR dehumidifiers
- Deployment of 26 air movers across affected floors with HEPA air filtration for smoke particulate control during drying
- Ozone treatment coordination for smoke odor management in unaffected areas of home while active drying continued in affected areas
- Daily moisture monitoring with documented moisture readings for combined fire and water damage claim
- Selective removal of fire-damaged materials coordinated with water damage removal
- Adjacent unaffected area smoke damage remediation coordinated with active drying schedule
Smoke Damage Remediation Across Floors
Smoke damage spread through HVAC circulation required comprehensive remediation:
- HVAC system professional cleaning including ductwork cleaning and filter replacement
- Wall and ceiling surface cleaning across affected floors using appropriate smoke damage cleaning agents
- Contents cleaning coordination for smoke-affected contents pack-out to specialty cleaning partner
- Odor remediation using ozone treatment, thermal fogging, and HEPA filtration across affected areas
- Sealant application on structural elements where smoke residue penetrated absorptive materials
Kitchen Reconstruction (Days 14–36)
Extensive kitchen reconstruction following fire damage:
- Fire-damaged appliance replacement with new units including proper electrical connections meeting current code
- Fire-damaged cabinetry replacement with matching custom cabinetry through cabinetry specialty partner
- Kitchen ceiling reconstruction with attention to lighting integration
- Kitchen countertop replacement where fire-damaged or water-damaged
- Kitchen flooring restoration with hardwood restoration through specialty refinishing partner
- Electrical reconstruction meeting current code requirements including upgraded circuit capacity for modern appliances
Adjacent Area and Lower-Level Reconstruction (Days 20–42)
Reconstruction scope for adjacent areas and lower-level damage:
- Dining area hardwood flooring restoration and paint restoration
- Main-floor hallway hardwood flooring restoration
- Lower-level family room ceiling reconstruction with attention to lighting integration and paint restoration
- Multi-floor paint restoration where smoke damage required repainting
- HVAC system commissioning after reconstruction with air quality verification
Coordination and Insurance
Project coordination with Allstate homeowner policy provided combined coverage for fire damage restoration and water damage restoration through single integrated claim. Vivid provided consolidated documentation appropriate for combined fire and water damage restoration including day-by-day protocol documentation, fire damage assessment separate from water damage assessment, smoke damage remediation documentation, and coordination with specialty partners for cabinetry, HVAC cleaning, contents cleaning, and appliance replacement.
Outcome
Full occupancy restoration completed in 42 days across all affected areas with successful integration of fire and water damage restoration. Kitchen reconstruction included updated appliance installation, updated cabinetry, and electrical improvements meeting current code. Smoke damage successfully remediated across affected floors with air quality verified through post-restoration testing. Property owners reported no residual smoke odor and full satisfaction with restored kitchen updated to modern specifications while maintaining architectural continuity with rest of home.
Project Cost
Total project scope was in the mid to high six-figure range across combined fire and water damage restoration, with kitchen reconstruction (appliances, cabinetry, countertops, flooring, electrical) representing approximately 40% of total cost, structural drying and demolition across affected floors representing approximately 15%, smoke damage remediation and HVAC coordination representing approximately 15%, contents restoration coordination representing approximately 15%, and adjacent area and lower-level reconstruction representing approximately 15%. Costs were fully covered through Allstate combined fire and water damage claim with client out-of-pocket limited to policy deductible.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How quickly did Vivid respond to this East Midvale post-fire event?
- Response crew arrived on-site 32 minutes after initial call once fire department cleared scene. East Midvale is within our 25–40 minute response range from our Fort Union office during standard conditions. Post-fire response requires fire department scene clearance before Vivid crew entry for safety. Emergency line is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- How does post-fire water damage response differ from standard water damage response?
- Post-fire water damage response requires coordinated fire and water damage restoration protocols. Fire suppression water contains combustion residue, soot, and firefighting foam residue producing IICRC S500 Category 2 categorization requiring appropriate cleanup protocol. Fire-damaged materials require assessment separate from water-damaged materials since fire damage affects material structural integrity differently than water damage. Smoke damage spread through HVAC circulation typically extends beyond direct fire and water damage areas requiring comprehensive multi-floor smoke damage remediation.
- What specialty coordination is required for combined fire and water damage response?
- Combined fire and water damage response typically requires cabinetry specialty partner for fire-damaged cabinetry replacement, HVAC contractor for system cleaning after smoke spread, contents cleaning specialty partner for smoke-affected contents restoration, appliance specialty for fire-damaged appliance replacement, and electrical contractor for electrical reconstruction meeting current code. Vivid coordinates all specialty partners through single project management to minimize property owner coordination burden and ensure integrated timeline.
- How is smoke damage across multiple floors handled?
- Smoke damage spread through HVAC circulation typically extends beyond direct fire damage areas. Response includes HVAC system professional cleaning including ductwork cleaning and filter replacement to prevent continued smoke particulate distribution, wall and ceiling surface cleaning across affected floors using appropriate smoke damage cleaning agents, contents cleaning coordination for smoke-affected contents through specialty cleaning partner, odor remediation using ozone treatment, thermal fogging, and HEPA filtration, and sealant application on structural elements where smoke residue penetrated absorptive materials.
- How can East Midvale homeowners prevent kitchen fire events?
- Common prevention measures for kitchen fire risk: appliance electrical inspection on regular schedule with attention to older appliances at higher failure risk, kitchen smoke detector placement with regular battery replacement and testing schedule, fire extinguisher placement in kitchen with regular inspection, cooking safety practices including never leaving cooking unattended and keeping combustibles away from stovetop, and homeowner insurance policy review to verify adequate coverage for combined fire and water damage restoration including modern kitchen replacement cost provisions.
Contact Vivid Water Damage & Restoration
- Emergency Line (24/7): (385) 289-3885
- Address: 7084 S 2300 E #170, Salt Lake City, UT 84121
- License: Utah DOPL general contractor license #10894576-5501
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