When a complex fire involving a combination of natural and synthetic materials occurs, acidic gases combined with heat and water vapour can create a variety of odours and penetrating corrosive residues that can damage materials not directly involved in the fire itself (secondary damage).

Subject to the nature and extent of damage, proceeding immediately with emergency precleaning may be appropriate. The acidic and corrosive residues created by a fire can result in permanent damage to many substances if not cleaned promptly. The longer these residues are allowed to remain on a surface, the more damage they cause and the harder they become to remove.

An initial complete and thorough inspection is carried out to determine the nature and extent of potential damage. Appropriate remedies are considered and often a restoration plan is developed and detailed repair specifications are prepared allowing for a comprehensive repair and restoration estimate.

Subject to the conditions and circumstances of the fire scene it may be appropriate to pack out and remove the contents from a structure involved in a fire. This may be necessary to protect contents from additional damage, to carry out off site content cleaning and restoration or to accommodate structural repair itself. Often contents which have been removed and have been restored need to be put in storage until they can be returned pending the repair and restoration of the structure damage.

Treatment for removal of odour is often one of the first procedures. There are typically three types of odours associated with fire and the gases and residues it creates. The type of odour is determined by the nature of materials burned; synthetic substance, natural substance, protein substance, or combinations. There are various proceedures that can be used to treat and remove odours associated with a fire.

The restoration process itself usually follows certain basic procedures, however due to the very nature of fire damage no two restoration projects are ever completely the same. The general objective is to return the structure to its predamaged state as best as can be accomplished with accepted industry procedures, techniques and present day materials. Often, hidden or unforeseen damage can surface that could not be determined at the onset and it is dealt with as it arises.

The repair and restoration of fire and smoke damage is a specialized field and is best undertaken by a qualified restoration specialist. The assessment and restoration of fire damage can be an ongoing process, and one that take time to complete. It is typically more involved and complex than new construction.