What a fire and smoke loss involves
A fire loss isn’t just the burned area — it’s the entire structure exposed to smoke, soot, heat, and water from suppression. IICRC S700 (Standard for Professional Restoration of Fire and Smoke Damage) drives the scope: smoke type characterization (protein, wet, dry, fuel-oil), structural cleaning protocol, contents triage and pack-out, deodorization, and HVAC system decontamination.
Different smoke types require different cleaning chemistry — protein smoke (kitchen fires) is acidic and oily; wet smoke (smoldering plastics) is highly corrosive and bonds to surfaces; dry smoke (paper, wood, fast-burning) is the most forgiving. Carrier estimates often default to dry-smoke cleaning regardless of the actual smoke type.
Common scope gaps
Missing or underscoped: HVAC decontamination (smoke and soot circulate through ductwork during the fire and after; ignoring this leaves a permanent smoke residue source), contents pack-out and off-site cleaning (some items are best cleaned at a soft-contents facility, not on-site), structural deodorization in concealed cavities (the smell lives in the wall framing, not just on the surface), and ozone or hydroxyl treatment for irreversible odor.
Coverage interaction: dwelling vs. contents (Coverage A vs. C) is the main split. Smoke that damaged contents but didn’t structurally damage the dwelling is a Coverage C loss with the lower sublimit on Coverage C value. Soot that bonded to drywall and framing is a Coverage A repair.
Standards citations
IICRC S700 §10 (Structural Cleaning) and §11 (Contents Cleaning) are the primary references. §10.2 specifies smoke type characterization. §10.4 covers HVAC system decontamination. NADCA ACR-2013 (Air Conditioning Contractors of America) backs the HVAC scope when the adjuster contests it.
Documentation to gather
Fire department incident report, smoke-type photos (soot residue character — oily / dry / acidic), HVAC pre-condition photos and ductwork swab samples, contents inventory with photo for each affected item, deodorization protocol log, post-restoration air sampling for odor compounds.