Hear from Our Customers
The smell is gone. Not masked—gone. Your walls, your HVAC system, your belongings no longer carry that acrid reminder of what happened.
The insurance claim closed without a fight. Your adjuster saw the same documentation you did, every step photographed and mapped, every surface tested and verified clean.
You’re not coordinating five different contractors or wondering what’s happening next. One team handled containment, cleaning, odor removal, pack-out, and final walkthrough. You knew what to expect at every stage because someone actually called you back. That’s what fire restoration should be—thorough, transparent, and finished. Not months of stress and guesswork while soot keeps spreading and your claim sits in limbo.
We’ve served Echo Crest and the greater Indianapolis area since 2016. We’re IICRC-certified in water, fire, and mold remediation, EPA RRP compliant, and BBB accredited.
When you call our line, a real person answers—24/7. We’re typically on-site within 60 to 90 minutes, not hours or the next day. That speed matters because smoke damage doesn’t wait, and neither should your recovery.
Echo Crest’s established homes—many built between the ’70s and ’90s—carry specific fire risks. Older wiring, aging HVAC systems, and layered renovations can hide smoke infiltration in ways newer construction doesn’t. We’ve worked in enough of these properties to know where soot travels, what your insurer will require, and how to document everything so your claim moves forward without dispute.
You call. We answer—live, not a voicemail. Within 60 to 90 minutes, our team is at your door with containment equipment, moisture meters, and thermal imaging cameras.
First, we stabilize the scene. That means stopping further damage by securing openings, setting up HEPA filtration, and protecting areas the fire didn’t touch. We document everything with photos and moisture maps before any cleaning starts. Within 24 hours, you’ll have that initial report.
Next comes the actual fire and smoke restoration work. We remove soot from every surface—walls, ceilings, subflooring, ductwork. We treat smoke odor at the source using thermal fogging, ozone, and surface neutralizers, not air fresheners. If your belongings need off-site cleaning and storage, we pack them out and bring them back when your space is ready.
Every 48 hours, you get a progress update. Your insurance adjuster gets the same documentation we send you—Xactimate-aligned pricing, photos, scope changes if any. When we’re done, we walk the property with you and follow up 14 days later to make sure nothing was missed. That’s the process. No shortcuts, no surprises.
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Fire restoration isn’t just about visible soot. It’s about what you can’t see—the acidic particles in your insulation, the smoke residue coating your ductwork, the odor molecules embedded in porous surfaces.
Your service includes emergency board-up and tarping if needed, complete smoke and soot removal from all affected and adjacent areas, thermal fogging and ozone treatment for odor elimination, HVAC duct cleaning to stop recirculation, contents pack-out with secure storage, and full moisture mapping to catch hidden water damage from firefighting efforts. We also coordinate directly with your insurance carrier, provide Xactimate-aligned estimates, and serve as your claims liaison so you’re not translating restoration language on your own.
Echo Crest properties—especially the larger, established homes common in this area—often have complex layouts, finished basements, and multi-zone HVAC systems. That means smoke can travel farther and hide deeper than in a simpler structure. We treat every job with that assumption. If there’s a crawl space, we inspect it. If there’s an attic, we check it. If your policy covers temporary housing or contents cleaning, we’ll document what’s needed to support that claim. You’re not paying for extras you don’t need, but you’re also not discovering six months later that half the job was skipped.
It depends on the extent of the fire, how much smoke traveled, and how quickly your insurance approves the scope. A small kitchen fire with localized smoke might take two to three weeks. A whole-home fire with structural damage can take several months.
The timeline breaks into phases. Emergency stabilization happens the day we arrive. Cleaning and odor treatment usually take one to two weeks for moderate damage. If there’s reconstruction—drywall, flooring, cabinetry—that adds time and depends on material availability and permit approval.
The biggest variable is insurance. If your adjuster needs a second opinion or your policy requires additional documentation, that can add weeks. We handle that communication directly and push things forward as fast as the process allows, but we can’t control approval timelines. What we can control is staying on top of every step and keeping you informed so you’re never waiting in the dark.
Most homeowners policies in Indiana cover fire damage restoration, including smoke cleanup, odor removal, and contents restoration. But coverage isn’t automatic—it depends on your specific policy, your deductible, and how the claim is documented.
Insurance companies want to see detailed proof of damage and a clear scope of work before they’ll approve payment. That’s why we photograph everything, map moisture and soot levels, and provide Xactimate estimates that match the software your adjuster uses. We also serve as your liaison, so if there’s a dispute over scope or pricing, we’re the ones handling that conversation.
Some policies also cover temporary housing if your home is unlivable, and contents pack-out or storage if your belongings need off-site cleaning. We’ll review your policy language with you and document everything needed to support those claims. The average fire restoration cost in the U.S. is around $27,000, but your out-of-pocket expense is typically just your deductible if the claim is filed and managed correctly.
You can try, but it usually makes things worse. Smoke damage isn’t just surface dirt—it’s acidic, oily soot that bonds to porous materials and spreads when you wipe it with the wrong cleaner or technique.
Household cleaners and regular sponges push soot particles deeper into drywall, grout, and upholstery. They also leave residue that continues to smell and can corrode metal fixtures over time. Even small fires push smoke through your entire HVAC system, into insulation, and behind baseboards. If you don’t address those hidden areas, the odor comes back and the damage continues.
Professional fire and smoke restoration uses HEPA vacuums, dry chemical sponges, alkaline cleaners, thermal foggers, and ozone generators—equipment and products you can’t buy at a hardware store. We also know which surfaces can be cleaned and which need to be removed entirely. If you’re filing an insurance claim, your carrier will likely require professional documentation and certified cleaning anyway. Trying to DIY it first can actually reduce your settlement because the adjuster can’t verify the original damage.
Permanent odor removal means treating the source, not covering it up. Smoke odor comes from microscopic particles embedded in walls, ceilings, flooring, ductwork, and belongings. Air fresheners and candles don’t touch those particles—they just mask the smell temporarily.
We start by removing all loose soot with HEPA vacuums and dry sponges. Then we clean every affected surface with specialized alkaline or solvent-based cleaners designed for smoke residue. After that, we use thermal fogging, which heats a deodorizing solution into a vapor that penetrates the same porous materials smoke did. For severe odors, we follow up with ozone treatment—a process that chemically neutralizes odor molecules at a molecular level.
We also clean or replace HVAC filters, seal or remove porous materials that can’t be fully deodorized like insulation or carpet padding, and treat contents separately if needed. The process takes time, and it’s not done until we test the air quality and you confirm the smell is gone. If it comes back within 14 days, we come back and treat it again. That’s the standard for real smoke damage cleanup, and it’s why DIY methods almost never work.
First, make sure everyone is safe and the fire department has cleared the scene. Don’t re-enter until you’re told it’s safe. Once you’re allowed back in, call your insurance company to start the claim, then call a fire restoration company—ideally within the first few hours.
Time matters because smoke damage gets worse the longer it sits. Soot is acidic and continues etching into surfaces. Moisture from firefighting efforts can lead to mold growth within 24 to 48 hours. The sooner we start containment and stabilization, the less secondary damage you’ll deal with.
Don’t try to clean anything yourself before we and your insurance adjuster document the damage. Moving or cleaning items can actually hurt your claim because it disrupts the evidence your adjuster needs to see. If you need to grab essentials like medications or documents, that’s fine—just don’t start scrubbing walls or throwing things away. Let us photograph, assess, and handle the cleaning with the right equipment and methods. That protects both your property and your claim.
Yes. We work with insurance carriers every day, and we’re set up to bill them directly once your claim is approved. We also provide the documentation your adjuster needs—photos, moisture maps, thermal images, and Xactimate estimates that match the pricing software most insurers use.
When there’s a dispute over scope or cost, we handle that conversation. We’ll walk your adjuster through the property, explain why certain steps are necessary, and provide the technical backup to support our recommendations. You’re not stuck in the middle translating restoration terms or arguing over line items.
We’ve worked with most major carriers and plenty of regional ones. We know what they require, how they process claims, and what documentation prevents delays. If your policy includes a claims liaison or public adjuster, we’ll coordinate with them too. The goal is to get your claim approved at a fair amount without you having to become an expert in insurance language or restoration standards. We handle that part so you can focus on getting back to normal.
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