Statewide Emergency Fire Damage Removal in California, CA
The flames are out and the engines are gone, and you are left in the yard trying to work out the next move. One free call to Unify Fire Solutions connects you with a licensed and insured independent restoration contractor who works in your part of California, CA. We answer around the clock, and dispatch starts while you are still on the phone.
- Free referral line answered 24/7, every day of the year
- Independent crews working in every part of California, CA
- Written, line-item estimates before any work begins
- Help lining up paperwork your insurance adjuster will ask for
One phone number for fire calls across California, CA
Unify Fire Solutions is not a restoration company. We are the dispatch desk that gets the right independent contractor moving toward your property.
Almost nobody has been through a house fire before, so the sequence of decisions is a mystery. Who do you call first, the insurance company or a contractor? Can you go back inside? Who turns the power back on? Our dispatchers hear those questions all day from callers across California, CA, and a few minutes on the phone usually sorts out the first steps.
Calling +1-833-336-1630 puts you through to a live dispatcher who asks a handful of questions: what kind of property it is, whether firefighters have released the scene, whether hose water is still standing, and whether the roof or windows are open. Your answers tell us which independent crew in our network fits the job and how quickly the first visit needs to happen.
Every contractor we refer is a licensed and insured independent business that works locally. They own their equipment, employ their own crews, write their own estimates and answer for their own work. Our job is the connection: getting a qualified local pro on the phone with you at 2 a.m. instead of leaving you to scroll through search results on a cracked phone screen.
The line is free to call, and it stays open 24/7, weekends and holidays included. Whether the property is a single-family home, a rented duplex, a condo unit or a storefront, the routing process is the same anywhere in California, CA.
Have a few things handy when you call, if you can: the property address, the name of your insurance company, your claim number if you already have one, and the incident number from the fire department. Don't worry if you have none of it yet. Lots of callers reach us from a neighbor's porch with only a phone, and the dispatcher will help you work out what to collect next.
What independent Fire Damage Removal crews in California, CA do
A fire leaves three separate problems behind: charred materials, smoke residue that spreads through the whole building, and the water used to knock the fire down. Here is how the independent contractors in our network approach each one.
Emergency response and mitigation
Mitigation means stopping the damage from getting worse, and in fire work the clock is unforgiving. Soot is acidic. Within a few hours it starts to yellow plastics and vinyl, and within a couple of days it can etch glass, pit chrome fixtures and stain grout for good. Wet drywall and insulation from the hose lines can begin growing mold in 24 to 48 hours.
The independent crew we dispatch will usually start with a safety walk, then secure the building. That often means boarding broken windows and doors with plywood, tarping holes in the roof, and setting temporary fencing if the property sits close to a sidewalk. Then the water: extraction units pull standing water from carpet and subfloor, and soaked carpet pad is generally cut out and bagged.
With the building stable, crews run HEPA air scrubbers to pull fine soot out of the air, sometimes under negative pressure so particles stay out of unaffected rooms. Dehumidifiers and air movers go in where moisture meters show wet framing or drywall.
- Boarding of windows, doors and openings in walls
- Roof tarping to keep rain off exposed framing
- Extraction of firefighting water and removal of wet materials
- HEPA air scrubbing plus moisture readings
Homes, condos and townhouses
A house fire rarely stays in one room, even when the flames did. Smoke follows air pressure and temperature, which is why you find black rings around outlets in a bedroom at the far end of the hall, or soot lines on the carpet along the baseboards. A residential crew starts by mapping how far the residue traveled, room by room, before anything gets wiped.
Dry soot from a fast, hot fire is powdery, so crews lift it with dry chemical sponges and HEPA vacuums. Wet, smeary smoke from a slow, smoldering fire is oily and needs alkaline cleaners and a lot more labor. Kitchen fires leave protein residue, a nearly invisible film that smells terrible and turns surfaces sticky. Every residue needs its own chemistry, and the wrong product can push the stain further into paint and wood.
Burned materials come out until the crew reaches sound framing. Framing that is only blackened, not structurally weakened, is often cleaned with soda or dry ice blasting and then sealed with a shellac-based or pigmented sealing primer to lock in odor before new drywall goes up. Ask the contractor to show you which studs they plan to keep and which they plan to replace, and to note it on the estimate.
- Residue mapping and spot tests before any cleaning
- Targeted tear-out of burned drywall, insulation and trim
- Blasting and sealing of smoke-stained framing
Businesses, rentals and multi-unit buildings
When the property is a business or a rental, the questions multiply. A restaurant owner needs to know when the hood system can be inspected and the health inspector called back. A landlord needs to know which units are habitable and which tenants need temporary housing. A property manager with a fire in one unit of a fourplex needs smoke contained before it migrates through shared attic space and ductwork.
Commercial-focused contractors tend to work in phases so part of the building can stay open. They build temporary poly containment walls with zip-door access, run negative air machines, and schedule the loudest demolition for nights or weekends. In a retail shop, the sales floor might reopen while the back room is still sealed off.
Inventory is its own problem. Smoke-exposed food, medication, cosmetics and anything in permeable packaging usually has to be discarded and documented for the claim. Ask the crew to photograph and list disposed inventory with quantities so your business interruption and property claims line up.
- Phased work plans that keep part of the space open
- Containment walls between damaged and occupied units
- Inventory disposal lists for the claim file
Apartment and condo buildings bring building code into play. Fire-rated assemblies, such as the drywall between units or around a stairwell, have to be rebuilt to the same rating, and damaged fire alarm or sprinkler components need a licensed trade to restore them. Ask whether those items are in the estimate or will be handled by a separate contractor.
Landlords and property managers: request a brief written status for each unit, livable or not, that you can forward to tenants and your carrier that day.
Contents cleaning, odor control, ductwork and water
Ask any fire survivor and they mention the smell. It gets into clothes, mattresses, the couch, the kids' stuffed animals, and the inside of every closed drawer. Contents crews pack out what can be saved, inventory each box, and clean it off site, using ultrasonic tanks for hard items and specialty laundering for fabric. Electronics often go to a separate vendor who can clean the circuit boards before soot corrodes them.
Odor control happens after cleaning, never instead of it. Crews may use thermal fogging, which mimics the heat of the fire to carry deodorizer into the same pores the smoke reached, or hydroxyl generators that can run while people are present. Ozone works well but the building has to be empty of people, pets and plants, so ask about it first.
If the HVAC system was running during the fire, the ductwork pulled smoke through every room it serves. A duct cleaning crew will inspect the air handler, coil and duct runs, clean or replace flex duct, and swap filters. It is reasonable to ask whether the contractor works to IICRC guidance, including S700 for fire and smoke damage and S500 for water damage.
- Contents pack-out with an itemized inventory
- Thermal fogging, hydroxyl or ozone deodorization
- Inspection and cleaning of ducts, coil and air handler
Firefighting water is the part people underestimate. A single engine can pour hundreds of gallons into a house in minutes, and that water finds its way into wall cavities, under cabinets and down through ceilings. Mixed with soot and ash, it is dirty water, so wet carpet, pad and insulation are usually removed rather than dried in place. Crews pull baseboards or drill small vent holes to dry wall cavities, and they log moisture readings until the framing is back to a normal dry level.
- Structural drying after the firefighting water
- Electronics cleaned by a specialty vendor
Standing in front of a burned house right now?
Call the free line, and a dispatcher will talk you through the next hour while lining up an independent crew close by.
Call +1-833-336-1630What you can expect from a Unify Fire Solutions referral
Nobody can promise the cost of a fire job or the length of a rebuild. These are the things we can say plainly.
Written estimates up front
Before any work begins, the contractor should hand you a written estimate broken out line by line, so ask for it. Many crews in California, CA build estimates in the same software adjusters use, so the two documents can be compared side by side.
Fast dispatch, any hour
The phone is answered 24/7 and dispatch starts the moment you call. Arrival time depends on which crews are free and how far away they are, and it is often the same day.
Local crews across the state
The network reaches cities, suburbs and rural communities throughout California, CA. The crew you get is local to your area and knows how the nearby building department and utilities operate.
Licensed, insured independent pros
We refer callers only to licensed and insured independent contractors. Still, verify the license and the certificate of insurance yourself before signing, and ask whether the crew follows IICRC S700 guidance.
Another contractor if the first isn't right
If the first contractor turns out not to be the right fit, call us again and we'll connect you with someone else. Sometimes the schedule doesn't work, sometimes you want a second estimate for the adjuster, and sometimes it is simply a personality mismatch. That's fine.
Getting two estimates is common on larger fire jobs, and many adjusters welcome it. Just make sure both contractors are pricing the same scope, item for item, so you are comparing like with like.
A step-by-step guide after a fire
Every fire is different, but the order of decisions is surprisingly consistent anywhere in California, CA. Use this as a checklist while you wait for a crew.
- 1
Safety first, then the call
Don't go back in until the fire department says you can. Then call +1-833-336-1630, answer a few questions about the scene, the water and any openings, and a dispatcher will start finding a crew.
- 2
Crew arrives and secures
The contractor walks the property with you, documents it in photos, and boards or tarps openings. If water is standing, extraction often starts on the first visit.
- 3
Written scope and estimate
You get a written, line-item estimate that separates emergency mitigation from repairs. You or the contractor share it with your adjuster, and nothing beyond emergency stabilization should start until you sign.
- 4
Cleaning, drying and deodorizing
The crew tears out burned materials, dries the building, cleans soot from each surface, and deals with the odor. Moisture readings and photos are logged daily so the adjuster can see the progress.
- 5
Rebuild and final walkthrough
Permitted repairs follow, from framing and electrical to drywall, paint and flooring. Before paying the final bill, walk through with the contractor and write down anything still unfinished.
The first hour, before any crew arrives: make sure every person and pet is out and accounted for. Do not re-enter until the fire department releases the scene, and never switch breakers on or off yourself after a fire. Write down the incident number the firefighters give you; your insurer will ask for it. If it's safe from outside, shoot wide photos and video of every side of the building.
When the fire department releases the scene
The fire department controls the property until it formally releases the scene. When investigators are still determining the cause, you could be kept out for several hours or, now and then, a few days.
After release, a local building official may post a placard on the door. Green usually means occupancy is allowed, yellow means restricted entry, and red means no one enters until an engineer or official evaluates it. The placard system differs from one jurisdiction to the next in California, CA, so read the notice and call the number on it.
A red tag doesn't block exterior mitigation. Crews can still board, tarp and fence, and many work with a structural engineer to get the red tag lifted.
Power, gas and water shutoffs
Firefighters often cut power at the meter and close the gas valve during the fight. Once a utility has been shut off for a fire, the provider usually will not restore service until the system is inspected, and sometimes a licensed electrician or plumber must sign off first.
That means the restoration crew will usually show up with their own generators to run air scrubbers and dehumidifiers. Contact your power, gas and water companies directly, report the fire, and ask what they require before restoring service.
If the water is still on and a pipe burst in the heat, find the main shutoff and close it. You'll usually find it near the meter or where the supply enters the building.
Working with your insurance adjuster
Call your insurance company the same day and get a claim number. Most policies require you to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage, which is exactly what emergency mitigation is. You don't have to wait for the adjuster to approve boarding, tarping or drying, though you should keep every receipt.
Contractors throughout California, CA normally bill in two parts: a mitigation invoice for board-up, water removal, drying and cleanup, and a restoration invoice for the rebuild. Adjusters review each differently, so keeping them apart avoids delays. Ask the crew for time-stamped photos, daily drying logs and a contents list, and get a copy of whatever goes to the insurer.
If the home isn't livable, many policies include additional living expenses (sometimes called loss of use) for temporary housing, meals and similar costs. Coverage limits differ, so ask your agent what yours includes and save every receipt.
Permits and local building departments
Cleaning and mitigation usually don't need a permit. Structural repairs, rewiring, new framing, a new roof and HVAC replacement nearly always require one. Permits in California, CA are issued by local city or county building departments, so the forms, fees and inspection schedules vary from one place to the next.
A local contractor who knows the nearby office will usually pull the permit under their own license. Make sure the permit is posted on site and that inspections are signed off before walls are closed up. The insurer may want the final inspection sign-off before it releases the last check.
Older homes can raise extra questions once walls are open. When the house is old enough to have asbestos in ceiling texture, flooring or duct wrap, or lead paint, testing may be needed before tear-out. Repairs may also have to meet the current code rather than the code the house was built under, which some policies cover as ordinance or law coverage, so ask your agent.
Landlord and tenant responsibilities
In a rental, the building and the tenant's belongings are usually insured separately. Usually the owner's policy covers the building and fixtures, and the renter's policy covers the tenant's furniture, clothes and temporary housing.
Landlords should contact tenants in writing about access, timelines and whether the unit is habitable. Renters should take their own photos before pack-out and request a copy of the contents list. Landlord and tenant obligations after a fire are set by California, CA law and your lease, so check the lease and ask a local attorney or housing office if anything is unclear.
Either party can call the line. We usually suggest the property owner authorize the structural work and the tenant handle their own contents claim, with the same crew doing both if everyone agrees.
Reopening a small business after a fire
For a business, every closed day costs money, so speed of mitigation matters even more. Call your commercial insurer about business interruption coverage and document lost revenue from the first day.
Restaurants, salons, medical offices and food retailers will likely need a health or fire inspection before reopening. Have the contractor write a phased schedule that shows what has to be done ahead of each inspection.
Back up the point-of-sale system, payroll records and customer files before anyone moves the computers. Then tell your landlord, if you lease the space, because the lease usually spells out who pays for which repairs.
Why 24 to 72 hours is the window: soot continues to etch finishes, wet building materials begin to grow mold, and smoke odor sinks further into porous surfaces every day. Starting mitigation quickly is usually the single biggest factor in how much of your home can be cleaned rather than replaced.
Notes from people who called the line
Shared with permission, with last names shortened.
Our dryer vent caught fire late at night, and when the firefighters finally cleared us I couldn't think at all. The dispatcher asked a few plain questions and reminded me to grab the incident number before the engine pulled away. The contractor was there the next morning, boarded the laundry room, and had extraction going before my adjuster even called back.
I have two duplexes I rent out, and one of my tenants had a stovetop fire. The best part was that the contractor split the mitigation bill from the rebuild estimate. The adjuster signed off on the first invoice in a week, and the neighboring tenant stayed put because the crew sealed off the shared wall and attic.
We were renters, and the fire began in the apartment under ours. I had no idea my renter's insurance covered a hotel until the dispatcher told me to ask my agent about it. The crew boxed up our clothes and the kids' toys and handed me a typed inventory, which made the claim much simpler.
A grease fire shut down my restaurant on a Friday. The contractor set up plastic walls so we could get the dining room cleaned and inspected while they kept working on the kitchen. They wrote out exactly what needed finishing before the health inspection, and we passed on the first try.
The first company I was sent couldn't start for almost a week. I called the line again, explained the delay, and the dispatcher put me in touch with another crew that started the next day. No argument, no hassle. That is all I wanted.
Fire damage questions from California, CA callers
How fast can a Fire Damage Removal technician arrive in California, CA?
Dispatch starts the moment you call, and the phone is answered 24/7. How soon a crew arrives depends on which independent contractors are available and how far they are from your property. Across much of California, CA it is often the same day, and the dispatcher will give you a realistic picture before the call ends.
Do you provide upfront pricing?
Unify Fire Solutions doesn't set prices, because we don't do the work. The independent contractor provides a written, line-item estimate before work starts, and you should ask for one before signing anything. Emergency board-up or water extraction may begin right away to prevent more damage, but ask the crew to explain those charges in writing too.
What emergency services are available?
The crews we refer usually cover board-up, tarping, extraction of firefighting water, drying, soot removal, air scrubbing and deodorization. A lot of them also handle contents pack-out and storage, duct cleaning, and the rebuild after mitigation. Tell the dispatcher what you're seeing and we'll match you with a crew that does that work.
Do contractors in CA work directly with my insurance company?
Most independent crews in CA deal with adjusters every week. They build a file with photos, moisture logs and a line-item estimate, and with your OK they'll send it to the adjuster. Keep in mind the policy is between you and your insurer, so you make the final decisions and should keep copies of everything.
Do I need a permit for fire damage repairs in California, CA?
Cleaning and mitigation usually don't, but structural, electrical, roofing and HVAC repairs almost always do. Permits in California, CA are issued by your local city or county building department, and requirements vary by location. In most cases the local contractor pulls the permit and books the inspections.
Can I stay in my house after a fire?
That depends on what the fire department and the local building official say, and whether power, water and heat can be safely restored. Even with a small fire, smoke residue and odor can make sleeping in the home unhealthy, especially for kids, older adults and anyone with asthma. Ask your insurer whether your policy includes additional living expenses for temporary housing.
Should I call my insurance company or a contractor first?
Call both on the same day, in whatever order works. Nearly every policy expects you to stop additional damage, so boarding and water removal shouldn't wait on the adjuster. Get a claim number, keep every receipt, and let the contractor know your claim number so their paperwork matches.
What should I throw away after a fire?
Throw out food, medicine and cosmetics that were exposed to heat, smoke or firefighting water. Before you toss anything else, photograph it and list it for the claim; the contractor can help decide what is salvageable. Many items that look ruined, like clothes, dishes and hard furniture, can often be cleaned.
Is it safe to clean up soot myself?
Scrubbing soot with a damp cloth tends to grind it into paint and fabric, and the residue can carry acids and fine particles that are bad to inhale. If you must go in for essentials, wear gloves and an N95 mask, and keep fans and the HVAC off. Leave the cleaning to the crew, who will test the residue and choose the right chemistry.
Does Unify Fire Solutions serve every part of California, CA?
The network covers metro areas, suburbs and rural towns across California, CA. Out in remote areas the closest crew may have a longer drive, and the dispatcher will tell you that up front. Call +1-833-336-1630 with your address and we'll tell you who can get there.
Statewide Fire Damage Removal coverage in California, CA
One phone number reaches independent crews anywhere in California, CA, from dense metro neighborhoods to farmhouses at the end of a gravel road.
Around the larger metros, several contractors are often within reach, which lets the dispatcher match on a specialty like commercial kitchens or condo towers. In suburbs, crews tend to handle a lot of attached garage fires, dryer vent fires and kitchen fires in single-family homes. In rural parts of California, CA, the nearest crew may travel farther, and they often arrive with generators and trailers because utility restoration can take longer.
- Single-family homes
- Condos and townhouses
- Apartment buildings
- Rental duplexes
- Mobile and manufactured homes
- Restaurants
- Retail stores
- Offices
- Warehouses
- Churches and schools
- Detached garages
- Barns and outbuildings
Callers tell us about kitchen fires, clogged dryer vents, space heaters, wiring faults, candles, lightning, grills, garage fires, furnace puff-backs and fires that spread from next door. No matter how it started, the first call is the same.
You can call even if you live elsewhere and the fire is at a rental you own or a relative's house. The dispatcher can work with a neighbor, tenant or manager who is on site, and the contractor can email you photos and the written estimate before anything past emergency stabilization starts.
