Firefighting water seeps into wood floors and under raised homes. 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 · Hawaii and nearby areas
Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration in Hawaii, HI
A kitchen fire, an electrical short, or brush fire smoke can leave soot through your home. Our crew handles fire and smoke damage restoration on Hawaii Island, from soot cleanup to repairs. Call any time, day or night.
Call (808) 278-536945minutes
IICRC Certified Firm#70120685
We work with all major insurance carriers
Fire damage help
Fire and smoke damage on Hawaii Island
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.
Many older island homes are built single-wall, with thin walls and open rafters, and jalousie windows that never seal tight. Smoke moves through that kind of house quickly and settles into wood, fabric, and closets well past the room that burned.
On the windward side, humidity is the next problem. Hilo’s damp air turns hose water under a raised house moldy fast, so drying starts the day we arrive.
Homeowners, property managers, and business owners call us after fires all year round. We work across Downtown Hilo, Waiakea, Kaumana, Keaukaha, Wainaku, Panaewa, Kailua-Kona, Holualoa, Keauhou, and Kalaoa.
Call Now (808) 278-5369Fire damage restoration at a glance
What’s included
Boarding up, island-humidity drying, soot and brush fire ash removal, odor control, and the rebuild.
Typical timeline
Light smoke in a room or two is often handled within days. A burned lanai, kitchen, or wall section takes longer to rebuild.
How cost is set
We look at how far the smoke spread, what can be restored, the water to dry, and the rebuilding involved.
First visit
Call (808) 278-5369A free inspection and estimate before any work starts.
The first 24 hours
What to do after a fire on Hawaii Island
The Hawaii 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 (808) 278-5369What 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 Hawaii 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.
Close up the jalousies if smoke is outside
When a brush fire is burning nearby, shut the louvers and doors to slow the ash coming in.
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 AC
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 Hawaiian Electric, Hawaii Gas or a licensed electrician.
Common fire damage
Types of fire and smoke damage we clean up on Hawaii Island
Island homes face a mix of indoor fires and outdoor smoke, and the residue each one leaves decides how we clean it.
Kitchen Fires
Oil left on a burner can coat cabinets, ceilings, and jalousie louvers with a sticky film that keeps smelling.
Electrical Fires
Older wiring, overloaded outlets, and corrosion from salt air can cause fires within walls and ceilings.
Brush Fire Smoke
Leeward grass fires may blow smoke and ash onto lanais, screens, and furniture near open windows.
Dryer Fires
Many Hawaii Island homes keep the dryer in a carport or garage. Lint in its vent can ignite, and smoke drifts indoors.
Smoke Through Single-Wall Construction
Thin walls and open rafters let smoke travel quickly from one room to the next.
Water From Firefighting
Fire hoses soak wood floors, walls, and the open space beneath raised Hawaii Island homes. Island humidity means that water has to be dried fast, or mold sets in.
How we clean
How we get smoke and soot out of your home
A smoke smell lingers because residue is still on something, whether that’s wood paneling, cabinets, insulation, mattresses, or the AC system. Sprays won’t remove it.
We try each surface first. A quick test on wood, paint, and fabric shows us how to lift soot without spreading it or staining the material.
Loose soot comes off before any moisture. HEPA vacuums and dry soot sponges take the loose layer off, which keeps wet cleaning from pressing it into the wood grain.
The smell is treated at the source. Framing, floors, and ductwork that absorbed smoke are deodorized, and anything too saturated is removed. Some treatments require the home to be empty, so we schedule them around you.
What the residue tells us
Dry soot
Usually fromWood framing or paper burning fast and hot
How it behavesA loose gray dust that a HEPA vacuum picks up.
Oily residue
Usually fromSlow fires that melt plastic, vinyl, or foam
How it behavesA slick coating that spreads under a cloth.
Protein residue
Usually fromFood burned in a kitchen fire
How it behavesThin, clear coating with a heavy smell.
Brush fire ash
Usually fromGrass and brush fires nearby
How it behavesFine ash on screens, lanais, and fabrics.
What can be saved
What can be cleaned and what gets replaced
What can be restored depends on the material, how close it was to the flames, and how soon cleaning begins. These are typical results. Your inspection gives you the real answer.
Glass, tile, metal, and stone
Usually cleanedThese clean well when soot comes off quickly. Salt air and soot together can corrode metal faster, so early cleaning matters.
Painted walls and ceilings
Usually cleanedMost come clean. A smoke outline that stays gets sealed and repainted.
Single-wall wood and paneling
Depends on heat and timingSmoke soaks into exposed wood, so it may need careful cleaning and a sealing finish. Charred boards are replaced.
Wood cabinets and furniture
Depends on heat and timingKoa and other finished wood often cleans well. Furniture that heat blistered or smoke soaked may need a specialist’s refinishing.
Clothing, curtains, and bedding
Depends on heat and timingClothes, linens, and curtains often come back after odor-removal laundering; scorched or melted pieces don’t.
Upholstered furniture and rugs
Depends on heat and timingCushions with light smoke can usually be deodorized. If the hoses soaked them or heavy smoke settled in, they’re replaced, especially in damp windward air.
Electronics and appliances
Depends on heat and timingSoot and humid air can corrode them inside. Have a technician check them before use.
Photos and documents
Depends on heat and timingKeep them somewhere cool and dry, flat if you can. Specialists can often restore them.
Insulation, mattresses, and carpet pad
Usually replacedThey trap smoke and moisture deep inside and are removed.
Charred framing
Depends on heat and timingPosts or studs with light surface charring may be cleaned and sealed. Weakened wood is replaced.
Food and medicine
Usually replacedToss anything edible from near the fire, cans included if they got hot, and ask a pharmacist before taking medicine that was in the room.
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.
Anything we can’t save is listed separately with photos for your adjuster.
Help beyond the fire
Other restoration services we offer on Hawaii Island
Every job starts with a free inspection and estimate. Fire damage rarely comes alone, so the same team handles what comes with it.
Wet walls and floors in windward homes can start growing mold within days of a fire. We find the moisture source, contain the area, remove the mold, and dry the space out.
More about Mold Remediation
Kona storms, heavy rain, and high winds can open Hawaii Island roofs to water. We dry the structure, remove damaged materials, and repair the ceilings and walls inside.
More about Storm Damage
Restaurants, retail shops, and vacation rentals lose income every day they’re closed. 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 (808) 278-5369Call 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 (808) 278-5369 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 AC running for a smell check, and send the final records to your insurance company to close out the claim.
Brush fire smoke came inside?
Call (808) 278-5369Ash from a nearby brush fire can settle on floors, furniture, and screens even if your home never burned. Call us for a free inspection.
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 Hawaii Insurance Division.
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 Hawaii Island
We serve both the Hilo and Kona sides of Hawaii Island, along with the towns in between.
Hilo and Kona neighborhoods
- Downtown Hilo
- Waiakea
- Kaumana
- Keaukaha
- Wainaku
- Panaewa
- Kailua-Kona
- Holualoa
- Keauhou
- Kalaoa
Nearby towns
- Keaau
- Pahoa
- Kurtistown
- Mountain View
- Volcano
- Honokaa
- Waimea
- Waikoloa
- Kealakekua
- Captain Cook
- Ocean View
- Hawi
Don’t see your area listed? Call us and we’ll tell you right away.
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Common questions
Hawaii Island 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 Hawaii?
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 Hawaii?
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 on Hawaii Island?
For fires on Hawaii Island, request the incident report from the Hawaii 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 (808) 278-5369. A crew can be there within 45 minutes to start your free inspection.
Call (808) 278-5369Or request a free inspection online
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