Hear from Our Customers
The fire’s out, but the damage keeps spreading. Soot is settling into fabrics. Smoke odor is burrowing into drywall. Acidic residue is corroding metal fixtures and electronics while you’re trying to figure out what to do first.
You need the damage stopped now—not tomorrow, not after three phone calls. You need someone who shows up fast, documents everything your insurance needs to see, and starts protecting what’s still salvageable.
That’s what fire restoration actually does. It stops secondary damage in its tracks. It removes soot and smoke residue the right way, so you’re not spreading it deeper into surfaces. It eliminates odors at the molecular level, not just covering them up. And it gives you a clear path from “this is a disaster” to “we’re moving back in.”
The outcome isn’t just a cleaned-up property. It’s getting your life back without the runaround, the guesswork, or the lingering smell that reminds you what happened every time you walk through the door.
We’ve been handling fire and smoke restoration in Hamilton County since 2016. We’re IICRC-certified in water damage restoration, applied structural drying, and applied microbial remediation—the credentials that matter when insurance companies and property owners need proof you know what you’re doing.
We’re local. We know Cicero’s older homes around Morse Reservoir, the freeze-thaw cycles that crack foundations, and the humidity that makes smoke odor stick around longer than it should. We’ve worked with every major insurance carrier, and we use Xactimate pricing, so your adjuster isn’t questioning our estimates.
When you call, you get a live person—not a voicemail, not an answering service. We’re on-site in 60 to 90 minutes, and we start documenting and protecting your property the same day. That’s not a marketing claim. That’s how we’ve operated for eight years.
First, we answer the phone. You’re not leaving a message or waiting for a callback. We ask a few questions about what happened, what’s damaged, and whether anyone’s been injured. Then we’re on the way—typically within 60 to 90 minutes.
When we arrive, we assess the damage and start containment immediately. That means sealing off affected areas with plastic barriers and setting up HEPA filtration so soot and smoke particles don’t spread to clean rooms. We document everything with photos and moisture readings because your insurance company will ask for it, and we send you that report within 24 hours.
Next comes the actual restoration work. We remove soot from walls, ceilings, and contents using specialized cleaning agents—not household cleaners that can make things worse. We treat smoke odor with hydroxyl generators or thermal fogging, depending on what the space needs. If your HVAC system was running during the fire, we clean the ductwork so you’re not recirculating smoke residue every time the heat kicks on.
Throughout the process, you get updates every 48 hours. We walk you through what we found, what we’re doing, and what’s next. When we’re done, we do a final walkthrough with you, and we follow up 14 days later to make sure everything still looks, smells, and feels right.
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Fire restoration in Cicero isn’t just wiping down walls. It’s a multi-step process that addresses visible damage, hidden contamination, and the insurance paperwork that makes or breaks your claim.
You get emergency board-up and tarping if your property is exposed to weather. You get soot and smoke residue removal from all affected surfaces—walls, ceilings, floors, and contents. You get professional deodorization that eliminates smoke smell permanently, not temporarily. If your belongings are salvageable, we offer pack-out services: we inventory everything, clean it off-site, and store it while your property is being restored.
We also handle the insurance side. Our team includes a dedicated claims liaison who speaks the same language as your adjuster, uses the same estimating software (Xactimate), and makes sure your claim includes everything it should. We provide detailed documentation—photos, moisture maps, progress reports—so there’s no back-and-forth about what’s covered.
Cicero’s older housing stock and proximity to Morse Reservoir mean many properties face unique challenges: plaster walls that absorb smoke differently than drywall, crawl spaces that trap moisture and odor, and HVAC systems that need specialized cleaning after a fire event. We’ve seen it all, and we adjust our approach based on what your property actually needs—not a one-size-fits-all checklist.
We’re typically on-site within 60 to 90 minutes of your call. That’s not an average or a goal—it’s what we’ve consistently delivered since 2016.
Speed matters because fire damage doesn’t stop when the flames go out. Soot is acidic, and it starts corroding metal, etching glass, and discoloring surfaces within hours. Smoke odor sets deeper into porous materials the longer it sits. The faster we get there, the more we can save and the less your claim ends up costing.
When we arrive, we’re not just assessing—we’re acting. We set up containment barriers, start HEPA filtration, and begin documenting damage for your insurance company. You’ll have a preliminary report within 24 hours, and we’ll update you every 48 hours after that until the job’s done.
Most homeowner’s policies in Indiana cover fire damage restoration, including smoke and soot cleanup, odor removal, and contents restoration. But coverage depends on your specific policy, your deductible, and how the fire started.
We work directly with your insurance company to make the claims process as smooth as possible. We use Xactimate, the same estimating software most adjusters use, so our pricing aligns with what they expect to see. We also provide detailed documentation—photos, moisture readings, and progress reports—that support your claim and reduce the chance of disputes or delays.
Our claims liaison has worked with every major carrier, and we know what they require. If there’s a coverage question, we’ll flag it early so you’re not surprised later. And if you’re paying out of pocket for any reason, we offer discounts for military members, seniors, first responders, and teachers on non-insurance jobs.
We can remove smoke odor completely—if it’s done right. The key is treating the source, not just masking the smell with air fresheners or ozone machines that don’t reach deep enough.
Smoke particles are microscopic, and they penetrate porous materials like drywall, insulation, upholstery, and wood. If you only clean the surface, the odor comes back as soon as humidity rises or the HVAC system kicks on. We use a combination of methods depending on what your property needs: hydroxyl generators that break down odor molecules at a chemical level, thermal fogging that penetrates the same places smoke did, and specialized cleaning agents for contents and surfaces.
We also clean your HVAC system if it was running during the fire. Ductwork can trap and recirculate smoke particles for months if it’s not addressed. After treatment, we do a final walkthrough with you to make sure the smell is gone, and we follow up 14 days later to confirm it hasn’t returned. If it has, we come back and treat it again.
Fire damage refers to structural harm caused by flames—burned walls, charred wood, melted materials. Smoke damage refers to the soot, residue, and odor left behind by combustion, even in areas the fire never touched.
Here’s what most people don’t realize: smoke damage often covers a larger area than fire damage, and it can be harder to reverse. Soot is acidic and corrosive. If it’s not removed quickly, it etches glass, tarnishes metal, and permanently discolors painted surfaces. Smoke odor doesn’t just sit on surfaces—it penetrates them, and it gets worse in humid conditions like we see in Indiana.
Fire restoration addresses both. We remove and rebuild fire-damaged structures, and we clean and deodorize smoke-damaged areas. The process is different for each, and it requires different equipment, techniques, and timelines. That’s why certification matters—IICRC training covers both fire and smoke restoration protocols, so you’re not guessing or using the wrong approach for the wrong type of damage.
It depends on the extent of the damage, but most residential fire restoration projects in Cicero take between one and three weeks. Smaller jobs—smoke damage in a few rooms with no structural repairs—can be done in a few days. Larger jobs that involve rebuilding walls, replacing flooring, or treating an entire HVAC system take longer.
The timeline breaks down like this: emergency containment and initial cleaning happen in the first 24 to 48 hours. Detailed cleaning, deodorization, and contents restoration take another few days to a week. Structural repairs and final walkthrough add another week or two, depending on what needs to be rebuilt.
We give you a realistic timeline upfront, and we update you every 48 hours so you know where we are in the process. If something changes—a hidden pocket of damage, a delay in materials, an insurance question—we tell you immediately. The goal is to get you back in as quickly as possible without cutting corners that’ll cause problems later.
It depends on the severity of the damage and what work we’re doing. If the fire was contained to one area and we’re only treating smoke damage in other rooms, you can often stay in unaffected parts of the house. If the damage is extensive, the air quality is compromised, or we’re doing major structural work, it’s safer to stay elsewhere temporarily.
We set up containment barriers and HEPA filtration to isolate the work area and prevent soot or odor from spreading. We also wear shoe covers and take precautions to minimize disruption. But if we’re using thermal fogging or hydroxyl generators for odor treatment, you’ll need to be out of the house for a few hours while the equipment runs.
We’ll walk you through what to expect during the initial assessment, and we’ll give you advance notice if you need to leave for any part of the process. If you’re displaced and need help coordinating with your insurance company for temporary housing, we can provide the documentation they require to approve it.
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