Fire in a commercial kitchen can prove to be devastating. Once the fire spreads to other areas, it can quickly engulf every area of the restaurant including the dining room, restroom, and entrance. As a result of this kind of damage, your business will be completely disrupted. After the smoke clears, there will be burned items and soot all over. You will not be able to resume business unless the entire restaurant is properly cleaned and restored to its pre-fire state.
That is exactly where fire recovery and fire restoration services for restaurants come into play. For cleaning and restoration, you will need to call in professionals who are highly experienced and skilled.
Main Causes of Restaurant Fires
A commercial kitchen is a place where cooking goes on for hours on end. The process of cooking and preparing a wide variety of foods leads to a buildup of grease and grime in the exhaust hood systems. Unless proper cleanup is conducted on a regular basis by professionals, the grease deposits can become a fire hazard, increasing the risk of a fire breaking out in the kitchen manifolds. Whether it is the vent hood, exhaust fan, or duct, all of these can become fire hazards.
The most common causes of kitchen fires include:
- Cooking equipment (deep fryers, cooking ranges, grills)
- Electrical and lighting equipment
- Smoking materials
One surefire way to prevent kitchen fires is to keep all the cooking equipment clean and grease-free. In fact, the NFPA has laid out clear guidelines which every restaurant owner needs to follow. You can minimize the risk of restaurant fire by adhering to the NFPA fire safety codes. The code requires you to keep the cooking equipment and the exhaust hood system clean.
To get an inspection and find out whether your commercial kitchen or restaurant is in compliance with the current fire code, reach out to one of our specialists at the Hood Builder in Denver, Colorado.
Restaurant Fire Damage Recovery
After a restaurant sustains damage due to a kitchen fire, the business has to remain closed for several days. The more days your facility remains closed, the greater financial losses you will incur. So, the process of fire recovery, repair, and restoration needs to begin as soon as possible.
Restoration refers to the process of getting the restaurant back to the pre-fire state so that business can resume. This is a job that requires a great deal of expertise and must be performed by professionals as a result. Before restoration can start, the fire recovery expert needs to conduct an inspection of the entire facility and find out how much damage the fire has actually caused. It is crucial to find out what all cooking equipment has been damaged, what can be repaired, and what needs to be discarded. If a kitchen appliance is severely damaged and cannot be repaired and reused, you will need to have it replaced with a new one.
You may be able to get the damaged kitchen equipment and appliances repaired to restore their operational efficiency. If the equipment has sustained damage beyond repair, it will need to be replaced. Many times, it is less expensive to replace kitchen equipment than to repair it. If you take long-term benefits into account, you will find the replacement option practical. Repaired equipment and appliances will need proper testing before they can be reused.
A considerable amount of repair work will need to be performed in order for the food service facility to get back to its pre-loss condition. At the Hood Builder in Denver, CO, we specialize in restaurant fire recovery and fire restoration to help you get back on your feet in the least possible time.
Restaurant Cleaning and Restoration
A crucial part of the restaurant fire restoration process is cleanup. Kitchen fire leaves ample amounts of ash and soot behind. Plus, the entire facility also smells smoky due to burning. All of this needs to be removed and cleaned in a proper manner so that the entire space gets back to its original state. The cleanup of soot and ash involves the use of different types of chemicals and cleaning agents. Fire restoration experts use special kinds of chemicals to clean and tidy up kitchen counters, range hoods, shelves, cooking equipment, kitchen appliances, etc.
It is common for a burned commercial kitchen to also have toxic fumes that can be a health hazard. Professionals follow all the safety precautions to carry out the cleanup process in a risk-free manner.
Flooding and water damage also need proper handling. In many cases, the smoky odor does not go away even after cleaning. To deal with this, the kitchen facility needs to be repainted and resealed. Unless the commercial kitchen and all the other areas of the facility smell fresh, the job is not over. Fire restoration specialists employ multiple tools and techniques to restore the restaurant to its pristine state so that smoke and odor do not remain a recurring issue.
Commercial Kitchen Design and Construction
Due to heavy fire damage, you may need to rebuild the entire restaurant or parts of it. When it comes to replacing or setting up new exhaust hood systems or equipment in the kitchen, expertise is a must.
Hood design specialists will develop an effective plan to set up new cooking equipment and appliances. At the Hood Builder, we have an expert and highly dedicated team of engineers who will help you set up the entire commercial kitchen once again exactly as per your specific needs. Whether it is the installation of the fire suppression system or the kitchen hood design or the overall kitchen layout, our professionals will perform every job with a high level of accuracy. We provide kitchen remodeling, restaurant general construction as well as installation of fire protection systems such as Amerex, Ansul, Buckeye, and others.
For more details in this regard, feel free to reach out to one of our restaurant remodeling specialists at the Hood Builder.
Collaboration with Local Fire and Health Officials
Restoring a restaurant after fire damage requires a great deal of effort. Throughout the restoration process, the restaurant owner needs to work closely with the local fire and health officials. This is required to make the issuance of occupancy easy for the food preparation facility owner.
Unless the restaurant is up to the fire safety and health codes, it is not fully ready to resume business. If you don’t have professionals by your side, keeping up with all the rules and regulations can be quite difficult. At the Hood Builder, we work in close collaboration with fire and health officials so as to ensure the entire restoration process is followed in an accurate manner. Our specialists will restore the kitchen exhaust hood system so that it is fully operational again while staying fire code compliant. Our technicians will carry out each step in a professional manner as well as share expert advice for the best results.
Get a State-of-the-Art Ventilation System
Your restaurant will not be ready to re-open unless the ventilation system is in proper order. You will either need a fire repair service or install a new ventilation system if the previous one was damaged.
Proper ventilation is key to making the restaurant a safer place. After the ventilation system has been correctly installed, you will need to get it cleaned by professionals on a regular basis. The vent hood and ducting need to be free from deposits of grease and grime for a fresh and safe environment. A clean and fresh environment inside the kitchen will not just minimize fire risks, but it also boosts the morale of the staff to work with a maximum level of productivity.
Hire Experienced Fire Damage Restoration Professionals
Restaurant fires are both unique and devastating. You should never trust amateurs to carry out the recovery, repair, and restoration work after a fire. Instead, you should rely only on experienced professionals. At the Hood Builder, we have technicians who have received rigorous training in a wide range of restoration techniques as well as the use of the right tools for fast fire restoration.
Our team consists of:
- Fire and smoke restoration experts
- Odor control technicians
- Damaged equipment repair technicians
- Water damage recovery specialists
Our team of experts is highly trained to deal with large commercial kitchen fire damage emergencies. Whether you run a large kitchen, cafeteria, dining center, or a large food service facility, our professionals will mitigate the fire damage effectively and manage the restoration project efficiently.
All commercial kitchen fires are not the same. Every situation is different and asks for unique solutions as per the specific needs. After proper evaluation, we develop tailored plans to deal with every situation.
Talk to a Restaurant Fire Recovery Specialist
If your restaurant was damaged in a fire, you should seek professional help as quickly as you can. Your goal should be to restart business without waiting for a longer period, as this will only mean greater losses. If you plan to erase the mess in a safe manner and get back your facility to its pre-loss condition fast, you should reach out to Hood Builder, based in Denver, CO. Our restaurant fire restoration services include inspection, assessment of fire damage, roof tarp service, water removal, smoke and soot removal, and cleaning and repair.
Our professionals are expertly trained to help you mitigate the fire damage, regardless of the extent of loss and the size of your food service facility. To schedule your free consultation, you should give our office a quick phone call. You can also write us an email using the contact form.
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