The West Coast of the United States is a beautiful place full of spectacular and majestic high mountain forests. People travel from all over the globe to hike, relax and take photos of some of the oldest forests in the world including the famous Red Wood Forests in Northern California. Washington State is home of the oldest and tallest Spruce tree on earth.
Drought, high winds and excessive heat are just a few of the reasons why wildfires are currently sweeping across the western states of Washington, Oregon and California.
As of today 23 people have died due to the fires and smoke that is lingering over millions of acres. Thousands have been evacuated and hundreds of homes destroyed. Currently 10% of Oregons population has been evacuated. More than 3.1 million acres have burned in California, where smoke particles are coloring the skies red and orange. Oregon and Washington have been hit hard as well with almost 900,000 acres burned in Oregon, compared with 625,503 acres in Washington. And the fires are still raging.
That means the size of 25 New York Cities are currently being ravaged by fire. These statistics are staggering!
And should further confirm that there is a tremendous need in our industry for those who are qualified to cleanup the ensuing damage that these catastrophic wildfires leave behind.
These fires are very different than your one off fires that we normally deal with as restorers. Either homes or buildings are literally burnt to the ground or there is lite ash and odor that needs to be remediated. Often the affected structures will not need to be packed out to be cleaned as the contents and the structure can be cleaned in place.
However there are some unique challenges when it comes to cleaning after a wildfire. Contaminated outside areas that may have lingering smoke and odor, lack of visual contamination and use of proper PPE are just some of them. Lets talk about each of these.
Outside Contamination
This is something we don’t normally deal with on a structure fire but is a huge consideration for wildfire cleanup.
The outside of the structure can sometimes be even more contaminated than the inside. Sidewalks, exterior walls, roofing and even landscaping maybe the first thing you clean so you don’t have re-contamination of the inside of the structure once its cleaned. Usually the most efficient way to do this is by power washing the structure and cement. As for the landscaping sometimes this is actually replaced however it really needs to be removed until that can take place especially if it is burnt or charred.
You will also want to check the integrity of the windows to make sure they weren’t compromised and/or stained beyond cleaning.
In some instances you may also be dealing with Fire Retardant that is often pink or red in color. This solution is dropped from an airplane over structures to save them from fire that is heading toward them. Fire Retardant is made up of ammonium polyphosphate, other performative additives and water.
This is a very corrosive chemical and can cause staining. You may be able to clean it off of the structure using a power washer and medium degreaser however you may need to replace metal roofing and possibly re-paint exteriors affected.
No Visible Contamination
I’ve gone into homes that have windows melted on the exterior and upon visual inspection no soot or ash present to the naked eye. There is extreme odor but no visible contaminates which usually leads the owner to feel they just need carpets cleaned and a light wipe down of counter tops.
However once we properly test walls and other surfaces inside the structure with a Chem Sponge (or dry cleaning sponge) we can clearly see just how much contamination there really is.
Educating people that live in affected areas is vital as they may be living in very unhealthy conditions that they cannot see any evidence of until you show them.
Most affected structures will need a thorough inside cleaning of most contents, walls, ceilings, HVAC system, cabinetry, windows and most likely the attic space. Testing each room is important as there may be some rooms in the structure that are completely unaffected and they may only need deodorization but you may not actually need to clean the structure or contents.
It may be necessary to do testing for levels of contamination as well using an experienced hygienist.
Proper PPE
Lack of visual contamination can be a big contributing factor to improper use of PPE in a wildfire.
As I am writing this I am sitting Eastern Washington and the smoke is so bad outside my window there is a dangerous air quality warning for the next few days. Smoke from a wildfire is no joke and is full of hazardous contaminates. Fire fighters wear oxygen for a reason.
You or your team may experience burning itchy eyes, scratchy dry throat, fatigue and even anxiety if proper protocols for PPE aren’t followed. I know we may not be right next to the flames and the extreme heat like they are but it doesn’t mean that we aren’t in hazardous conditions.
Safety goggles, respirators, masks, Tyvek suits, long sleeves, long pants, cooling vests along with proper hydration are just some of our PPE gear that we should have in our arsenal.
Keeping yourself and your team hydrated is so very important. You don’t realize how dry the air is after a fire and then add long hours going from house to house cleaning and before you know it you realize you haven’t taken a break let alone had a drink of water for hours. Have set breaks and stick to them no matter how busy you are. At least every hour minimum my crew is taking a break and drinking water when on a CAT loss like these.
The better you take care of yourselves the better you can help those in need.
My heart hurts for those that have been and still are evacuated as their homes are in line of the fires. In Washington there was an entire town burned to the ground not a single structure left. Just gone. It is truly devastating to see.
My hope for you is that you never have to experience this in your community. But if you community does have a wildfire come thru, I hope that you will be trained and equipped to be on the front lines restoring lives and hope for those affected.