Hose water spreads under tile on slab floors and into walls. 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 · San Antonio and nearby areas
Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration in San Antonio, TX
A kitchen fire, an attic air handler that overheats, or grass fire smoke can spread soot through your home. Our crew handles fire and smoke damage restoration in San Antonio, TX, from soot cleanup to repairs. Call any time, day or night.
Call (830) 250-606045minutes
IICRC Certified Firm#70120685
We work with all major insurance carriers
Fire damage help
Fire and smoke damage in San Antonio
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 homes here keep the HVAC in a hot attic. If it ran during the fire, soot has likely reached every duct and register, and the attic insulation around it may need replacing.
San Antonio’s older neighborhoods add their own challenges. Older Victorian homes have tall ceilings, wood floors, and plaster. They hold smoke differently than newer stucco homes.
Homeowners, property managers, and business owners across Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe, Medina, Kendall, and Wilson counties call us after fires all year round.
Call Now (830) 250-6060Fire damage restoration at a glance
What’s included
Board-up, attic duct and insulation cleanup, smoke removal, odor treatment, and rebuilding.
Typical timeline
A smoky room or two can be finished in days. Kitchens or walls that need rebuilding take several weeks.
How cost is set
Pricing reflects how far smoke reached through the attic and ducts, what can be saved, drying, and the rebuild.
First visit
Call (830) 250-6060A free inspection and estimate before any work starts.
The first 24 hours
What to do after a fire in San Antonio
The San Antonio 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 (830) 250-6060What 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 San Antonio 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.
Stay cool while the AC is off
In summer, plan to stay somewhere air-conditioned while the house is checked.
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 CPS Energy or a licensed electrician.
Common fire damage
Types of fire and smoke damage we clean up in San Antonio
Long, hot summers, attic HVAC systems, and a mix of historic and new homes shape the fires we see in San Antonio.
Kitchen Fires
A frying fire leaves grease on San Antonio cabinets, stucco walls, and ceilings, plus a strong odor.
Electrical and AC Fires
Air conditioners running nonstop, crowded outlets, and aging wiring are fire risks in San Antonio walls and attics.
Attic HVAC Smoke
An air handler in a hot attic can pull smoke in and push soot through every duct in the house during a fire.
Grass Fire Smoke
On hot, windy days, dry brush around San Antonio can ignite and blow smoke and ash into nearby neighborhoods.
Dryer Fires
San Antonio garages often house the dryer, and a lint fire there pushes smoke into the kitchen.
Water From Firefighting
On San Antonio slabs, firefighting water soaks the carpet, wicks up drywall, and spreads beneath tile. It needs fast drying to prevent mold.
How we clean
How we get smoke and soot out of your home
Smoke smell hangs on because residue sits on stucco, plaster, cabinets, attic insulation, and ducts.
We test before cleaning. Stucco texture, plaster, and painted cabinets react differently, so we try each first.
Loose soot is lifted before any washing. HEPA vacuums and chemical sponges clear it off stucco and plaster texture first.
Then we treat odor at its source. Attic framing, ducts, and subfloor are deodorized, and smoke-soaked attic insulation is replaced. Some treatments need an empty house, so we plan them around you.
What the residue tells us
Dry soot
Usually fromHot, fast fires in wood or paper
How it behavesA dusty coating that HEPA vacuums pull up.
Oily residue
Usually fromWiring, plastics, and foam smoldering
How it behavesGreasy film that smears across stucco.
Protein residue
Usually fromFood burned in a home kitchen
How it behavesA nearly clear film that leaves a sharp smell.
Attic duct soot
Usually fromAn air handler running in the attic
How it behavesFine soot around every ceiling register.
What can be saved
What can be cleaned and what gets replaced
In San Antonio homes, the material, its distance from the fire, and how fast cleanup starts in the heat decide most outcomes. Here’s what usually happens, and the inspection confirms it.
Glass, tile, metal, and stone
Usually cleanedSaltillo tile, limestone, and glass usually clean if the soot comes off promptly.
Stucco and plaster walls
Usually cleanedStucco and old plaster walls usually come clean with the right method. Any stubborn shadow gets sealed before repainting.
Drywall
Depends on heat and timingDrywall that only picked up smoke can often be washed and primed. Panels that burned or got soaked are removed.
Wood floors and cabinets
Depends on heat and timingOriginal pine floors in older homes and painted cabinets often clean well. Heat-blistered finishes may need refinishing.
Clothing, curtains, and bedding
Depends on heat and timingClothes, linens, and drapes often come back after smoke-odor laundering. Anything melted or scorched is lost.
Upholstered furniture and rugs
Depends on heat and timingLight smoke can be deodorized. Hose-soaked pieces are typically replaced.
Electronics and appliances
Depends on heat and timingTVs, game consoles, and computers from a smoky San Antonio room need a technician’s test before you plug them in.
Photos and documents
Depends on heat and timingFamily photos, quinceañera albums, and papers should stay flat and cool until a specialist can review them.
Charred framing
Depends on heat and timingAttic rafters with light char can sometimes be sealed in place. The rest is replaced.
Insulation, mattresses, and carpet pad
Usually replacedAttic insulation, mattresses, and pad trap smoke and water, so they’re replaced.
Food and medicine
Usually replacedToss food that was anywhere near heat or smoke, and ask a pharmacist about medicine from that 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 restore is photographed and documented separately for your adjuster.
Help beyond the fire
Other restoration services we offer in San Antonio
Every job starts with a free inspection and estimate. Fire damage rarely comes alone, so the same team handles what comes with it.
Humid Gulf air drifting inland can turn wet drywall into a mold problem fast. We find the moisture source, contain the area, remove the mold, and dry the space out.
More about Mold Remediation
Hail and flash floods can open San Antonio roofs and let water inside. We dry the structure, remove damaged materials, and repair the ceilings and walls inside.
More about Storm Damage
On the River Walk, a smoky restaurant can’t seat guests until the cleanup is done. 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 (830) 250-6060Call 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 (830) 250-6060 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.
Attic AC ran during the fire?
Call (830) 250-6060If the air handler ran during the fire, soot may be in every duct now. Keep it switched off, and let us inspect it for free first.
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 Texas Department of Insurance, (800) 252-3439.
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 San Antonio
We serve San Antonio and communities across Bexar County and the Hill Country edge.
Counties
- Bexar County
- Comal County
- Guadalupe County
- Medina County
- Kendall County
- Wilson County
Nearby cities
- New Braunfels
- Schertz
- Cibolo
- Converse
- Universal City
- Leon Valley
- Helotes
- Alamo Heights
- Boerne
- Seguin
- Castroville
- Floresville
Don’t see your area listed? Call us and we’ll tell you right away.
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Common questions
San Antonio 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 Texas?
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 San Antonio?
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 San Antonio?
For fires inside the City of San Antonio, request the incident report from the San Antonio 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 (830) 250-6060. A crew can be there within 45 minutes to start your free inspection.
Call (830) 250-6060Or request a free inspection online
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