Hose water can freeze in walls and floors if the house goes cold. We extract the standing water, set up dehumidifiers and air movers, and take moisture readings every day until the floors and framing test dry.
More about Water Damage Restoration
Available 24/7 · Anchorage and nearby areas
Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration in Anchorage, AK
A furnace problem, a wood stove fire, or an overloaded circuit can leave soot through your home. Our crew handles fire and smoke damage restoration in Anchorage, AK, from soot cleanup to repairs. Call any time, day or night.
Call (907) 341-452745minutes
IICRC Certified Firm#70120685
We work with all major insurance carriers
Fire damage help
Fire and smoke damage in Anchorage
Soot is acidic. Left on a surface, it keeps staining paint, yellowing grout, tarnishing metal, and over time etching glass. Surfaces that clean up well in the first few days can stain for good if the soot sits.
Smoke follows warm air. Tight Alaska homes hold smoke in closets, the arctic entry, and upstairs rooms. Forced-air heat moves it from room to room within minutes.
Winter makes the aftermath harder. If the heat must stay off, pipes can freeze in the empty house. Water left in the walls and floors won’t dry by itself either. We start protecting and drying the house on the first visit.
Homeowners, property managers, and business owners across the Municipality of Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough call us after fires all year round.
Call Now (907) 341-4527Fire damage restoration at a glance
What’s included
Board-up, freeze protection, soot removal, odor treatment, drying, and the rebuild.
Typical timeline
One or two lightly smoky rooms can wrap up in days. A rebuild of a kitchen, walls, or flooring usually takes weeks.
How cost is set
How far soot traveled, what cleans versus what’s replaced, the water to dry, and the repairs.
First visit
Call (907) 341-4527A free inspection and estimate before any work starts.
The first 24 hours
What to do after a fire in Anchorage
The Anchorage Fire Department, or the department that responded, decides when it’s safe to go back in. After that, these steps protect your family, your belongings, and your claim.
Not sure what’s safe to touch? Call and walk through it with our crew.
Call (907) 341-4527What to do
Wait for the fire department
Fire can weaken floors and ceilings in ways you can’t see. Stay out until the fire department says it’s safe.
Photograph every room
Take photos and video of every room, closet, and the garage before anything is moved or thrown out.
Call your insurer the same day
Open a claim and write down the claim number and your adjuster’s name. Ask the Anchorage Fire Department for the incident report too.
Keep every receipt
Hotel stays, meals, and supplies may be covered by your policy’s loss-of-use coverage.
Protect the pipes
If the furnace is off and it’s below freezing, ask us about draining the lines so the plumbing doesn’t freeze.
What not to do
Don’t wipe the soot
Water and household cleaners smear soot into paint and fabric and can set the stain for good.
Don’t run the furnace
It can pull soot from one room and blow it through the whole house. Leave it off until the ducts are checked.
Don’t eat food that was near the fire
The USDA says to throw out food exposed to heat, smoke, or firefighting chemicals, including food in the fridge, since the door seal isn’t airtight.
Don’t switch on electronics or appliances
Heat, water, and soot can damage them inside. Have them checked first.
Don’t turn the gas or power back on yourself
Leave that to Chugach Electric, ENSTAR or a licensed electrician.
Common fire damage
Types of fire and smoke damage we clean up in Anchorage
Long, cold winters mean heating equipment runs most of the year here. Every kind of fire leaves a residue that calls for its own cleaning method.
Heating Equipment Fires
Furnaces, boilers, and space heaters work hard from fall into spring. A malfunction can blacken a utility room, and a furnace puffback can coat every register in fine soot.
Wood Stove and Chimney Fires
Creosote packed in an Anchorage chimney may ignite, pushing smoke back down into the rooms. Wood smoke leaves a heavy, sticky residue on ceilings and walls near the stove.
Electrical Fires
Extension cords, heat tape, and overloaded outlets are common in cold weather and can start fires behind the walls.
Dryer Fires
A lint-packed dryer vent in a basement or garage can ignite. Smoke then drifts into the rooms upstairs.
Smoke in Condos and Townhomes
In Anchorage condos and fourplexes, a neighbor’s fire can send smoke through hallways and shared attics.
Water From Firefighting
Hose water soaks carpet and drywall, and in an unheated Anchorage house it can freeze. Pull it out and dry it fast to prevent mold and frozen plumbing.
How we clean
How we get smoke and soot out of your home
Smoke odor clings to the materials in your home, like drywall, cabinets, insulation, carpet pad, and ducts, not just the air. Air fresheners can’t reach it.
We start with a test spot. Checking each surface first tells us how to lift the soot without smearing it or harming the finish.
Dry cleaning, then wet. HEPA vacuums and dry soot sponges remove loose residue before anything damp touches the surface.
We neutralize the odor where it’s trapped. After cleaning, we deodorize the framing, subfloor, and ductwork, and remove materials too saturated to save. Some treatments require the house to be empty, so we schedule them with you.
What the residue tells us
Dry soot
Usually fromA hot, fast-burning fire
How it behavesA dusty layer that lifts with vacuums and sponges.
Oily residue
Usually fromLow-oxygen, smoldering fires and melted plastics
How it behavesGreasy residue that streaks if you try to wipe it.
Wood smoke residue
Usually fromWood stoves and chimney fires
How it behavesHeavy, sticky film on nearby ceilings and walls.
Puffback soot
Usually fromA furnace that misfired
How it behavesFine, greasy soot pushed out of every register.
What can be saved
What can be cleaned and what gets replaced
The answer depends on the material, its distance from the fire, and how quickly cleaning begins. These are typical outcomes. Your inspection gives the final call.
Glass, tile, metal, and stone
Usually cleanedThese come back well if soot is cleaned off soon. Weeks of exposure can leave glass cloudy and metal pitted.
Painted walls and ceilings
Usually cleanedMost surfaces clean up. Where a shadow remains, a sealing primer and new paint cover it.
Drywall
Depends on heat and timingWe can often clean and seal panels that only took on smoke. If the paper burned or the gypsum soaked through, the panel is cut out.
Wood cabinets and furniture
Depends on heat and timingCabinets with an intact finish usually recover. If heat bubbled the finish or wood smoke soaked in, refinishing or replacement may be needed.
Clothing, curtains, and bedding
Depends on heat and timingClothes and linens often come back after professional laundering. Items with burn holes or melted fibers are a loss.
Upholstered furniture and rugs
Depends on heat and timingA sofa with light smoke can usually be cleaned. One that sat in heavy smoke or got soaked by the hoses is typically replaced.
Electronics and appliances
Depends on heat and timingSoot inside a TV, computer, or appliance keeps corroding it. A technician should look before anything is switched on.
Photos and documents
Depends on heat and timingKeep them flat, dry, and away from heat. Specialists can often restore them.
Charred framing
Depends on heat and timingStuds with surface char can often be cleaned and sealed against odor. If the fire ate into the wood, the stud is replaced.
Insulation, mattresses, and carpet pad
Usually replacedBatt insulation, mattresses, and carpet pad hold onto smoke and water deep inside, so they’re removed and replaced.
Food and medicine
Usually replacedAnything edible that sat near heat or smoke should go, including canned goods that got hot. Check medications with your pharmacist.
Packing out your belongings
If rooms need heavy cleaning or a rebuild, we can pack out your belongings as a separate service. Ask about it during your free inspection.
Things we can’t save go on their own photographed list, so your adjuster understands each decision.
Help beyond the fire
Other restoration services we offer in Anchorage
Every job starts with a free inspection and estimate. Fire damage rarely comes alone, so the same team handles what comes with it.
Once the house warms back up, walls still wet from fire hoses can sprout mold. We find the moisture source, contain the area, remove the mold, and dry the space out.
More about Mold Remediation
Deep snow, ice dams, and winter gusts may let meltwater through Anchorage roofing. We dry the structure, remove damaged materials, and repair the ceilings and walls inside.
More about Storm Damage
Smoke damage can keep an Anchorage shop or office dark for days. We extract, dry, and clean on a plan built around reopening, and we document each step for your carrier.
More about Commercial Restoration
When you’re ready to rebuild, the same crew puts it back together, from drywall to cabinets to the final coat of paint, so there’s no second contractor to hire.
More about ReconstructionDealing with one of these?
Call (907) 341-4527Call and talk to our crew about what happened. The call is free, and so is the inspection.
Our process
What happens after you call
- 1
You call, we send a crew
Call (907) 341-4527 any time, day or night, including weekends and holidays. Tell us what happened and whether the fire department has cleared the house. We’ll send a crew right away.
- 2
We secure the property
We board up broken windows and doors and tarp openings in the roof, so rain and intruders stay out while the work is planned.
- 3
We arrive and inspect
The 24 Hour Flood Pros team traces how far the soot and smoke went, room by room, including closets, the attic, and the ducts. We use moisture meters to find hose water inside walls and under floors. We photograph all the damage for your insurance. The inspection is free.
- 4
We remove water and seal off clean rooms
We pump out standing water and set up drying equipment. Rooms the smoke didn’t reach get closed off with plastic, so soot doesn’t follow us through the house.
- 5
We remove what can’t be saved
Materials that can’t be saved, like charred drywall and soaked insulation, come out. If you need belongings packed out, we can do that as a separate service.
- 6
We clean and deodorize
Soot comes off with dry methods first, then wet cleaning matched to each surface. With the residue gone, we treat the smell in the materials and ducts that soaked it up.
- 7
We make the repairs
When you’re ready, the 24 Hour Flood Pros team fixes the damage. We replace drywall, install cabinets, and finish with fresh paint. Our goal is to make your home look the way it did before.
- 8
Final check with you
Before we sign off a room, we check surfaces in strong light and wipe-test them for leftover residue. Then we walk through with you, with the furnace running for a smell check, and send the final records to your insurance company to close out the claim.
Furnace off in a cold snap?
Call (907) 341-4527With the heat off after a fire, Anchorage pipes can freeze quickly. Call us, and we’ll protect the plumbing while we start the cleanup.
Insurance and claims
Help with your fire damage insurance claim
We work with all major insurance carriers, including State Farm, Allstate, Liberty Mutual, Farmers, American Family, Travelers, and Nationwide. Documentation starts on the first visit, and your adjuster can call us directly with questions.
Your policy decides what’s covered, not us. Our job is keeping the paperwork clear enough that your claim doesn’t stall. We bill your insurance directly for damage your policy covers.
Many homeowners policies also include loss-of-use coverage, sometimes called additional living expenses, for a hotel or rental while the house is repaired. Ask your adjuster what yours includes before you book anything.
If a claim stalls, you can file a complaint with the Alaska Division of Insurance.
What your adjuster will ask for
- The date and time of the fire, and what started it, if known
- The fire incident report from the department that responded
- Photos and video of every room, taken before cleanup
- A list of damaged belongings: what can be cleaned and what can’t
- Receipts for emergency repairs, hotel stays, and meals
What we send them
- Date-stamped photos of each damaged area
- Moisture readings from the firefighting water
- A line-by-line estimate for cleanup and rebuild
- One point of contact for your adjuster
Where we work
Areas we serve around Anchorage
We serve Anchorage, Eagle River, Girdwood, and nearby Mat-Su communities.
Areas
- Municipality of Anchorage
- Matanuska-Susitna Borough
Nearby communities
- Eagle River
- Chugiak
- Peters Creek
- Girdwood
- Indian
- Wasilla
- Palmer
- Butte
- Knik-Fairview
Don’t see your area listed? Call us and we’ll tell you right away.
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Common questions
Anchorage fire and smoke damage FAQs
How fast can 24 Hour Flood Pros get to me?
A crew can be there within 45 minutes. We work 24/7, including nights, weekends, and holidays. If the fire department hasn’t cleared the house yet, we’ll talk you through what to do until it does.
Is it safe to stay in my house after a fire?
Not until it’s been checked, and often not in the rooms closest to the fire. Soot in the air irritates your lungs, and burned floors, ceilings, and wiring can be unsafe. After the inspection, we’ll tell you which areas are safe to use and whether it makes sense to stay somewhere else during the work.
Will the smoke smell ever go away?
In most homes, yes, once the residue is cleaned off and the materials that soaked up smoke are treated or removed. A smell that keeps coming back usually means residue was missed, often in the ducts, the insulation, or inside cabinets. That’s why our final walkthrough includes a smell check with the heat or air running.
Can I clean the soot myself?
A light film on a small area, maybe. Anything more, we don’t recommend it. Wiping soot with water or household cleaners usually smears it into paint and grout and can set the stain. Soot is also acidic and irritating, so it shouldn’t be handled without gloves and a respirator.
Does homeowners insurance cover fire and smoke damage in Alaska?
Most standard homeowners policies cover sudden fires, including smoke damage and water damage from putting the fire out. Limits, deductibles, and exclusions vary, so check your policy or ask your agent.
How much does fire damage restoration cost in Anchorage?
It depends on how far the soot and smoke spread, what can be cleaned or has to be replaced, how much water needs drying, and how much has to be rebuilt. One smoky room costs far less than a kitchen fire that reached the attic. The inspection and estimate are free, so you know the cost before any work starts.
How long does fire damage restoration take?
Light smoke damage in a room or two can take a few days. A fire that needs walls, cabinets, or floors rebuilt can take several weeks or longer, depending on the scope, permits, and insurance approvals. Your estimate includes a schedule.
How do I get a fire report in Anchorage?
For fires inside the City of Anchorage, request the incident report from the Anchorage Fire Department. Many nearby cities and counties run their own fire departments, so ask the department that responded.
Do you handle commercial fire damage?
Yes. We restore offices, restaurants, shops, and other commercial buildings, and we plan the work around getting you reopened. See our commercial restoration page for more.
Available 24/7
Get a free inspection
Day or night, weekend or holiday, call (907) 341-4527. A crew can be there within 45 minutes to start your free inspection.
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