Texas IAQ Professionals Help Businesses & Families Recover from Smoke and Water Damage following a Fire

Recently, Austin’s KVUE broadcast a report about thirty seven people who were displaced from their homes after a fire at their apartment complex in Round Rock.  According to the report, sixteen units were destroyed or sustained water and smoke damage.
 
While homes and businesses can be completely destroyed by fires, in multi-tenant situations and when a fire is in close proximity to other buildings, other properties can also suffer damages. Water damage is often quite evident from efforts to extinguish a blaze.  It may cause obvious damages such as collapsed ceilings, but other times the damage may be out of sight.  This can include moisture trapped in walls, ceilings and crawl spaces that could allow for the growth of mold.  Once mold begins to grow, it can impact the indoor air quality (IAQ) of both the unit that suffered direct damage and other multi-tenant units nearby.
 
Damage from a fire can also include smoke damage which can impact properties some distance from the initial fire as it infiltrates into structures.  Smoke is made up of a number of combustion by-products that may include ash, soot, char and other materials.  “The corrosive effect of smoke residues can begin to cause extensive etching, corrosion and discoloration as time passes,” said Hollis L. Horner, President, Indoor Environmental Consultants, Inc.  “Preventing additional damage and removing odors and residues can be a significant challenge for most property owners as it must be done thoroughly to be effective. During cleanup and repair activities of damaged properties, lead-based paints and asbestos may also be encountered in older properties.  IEC has indoor environmental quality experts who offer smoke, water damage, mold, asbestos and lead testing and consulting services to help families and businesses quickly and safely recover from a structural fire or smoke infiltration.”
 
To learn more about IEC’s indoor environmental quality testing and consulting services, please visit www.iecinc.net, email ncancino@iecinc.net or call (877) 432-8378.
 
About Indoor Environmental Consultants, Inc.
IEC began operations in 2001 with some of the nation’s most seasoned professional indoor air quality consultants who already had over 70 years of combined experience.  The indoor environmental quality firm specializes in field investigations and assessments of commercial, institutional and residential buildings.  Their services, related to fungal (mold), chemical, bacterial, asbestos and particulate pollutants, are offered throughout Texas, the Gulf Coast and the Southwest. IEC is licensed by the Texas Department of State Health Services as a mold assessment company (ACO0114) and an asbestos consultant agency (100329).

Contact Information

Paul Cochrane

President

Cochrane & Associates, LLC

Contact via E-mail