Is It Safe to Purchase a Home That Sustained Fire Damage?

Fire-damaged items and materials in a home may be compromised despite looking fine and showing no signs of damage. Even if areas of a home were never touched by flames, they still can be dangerously weakened by the excessive heat. In fact, Ready.gov explains that the heat of a fire can be more dangerous than the actual flames. Temperatures can soar to 600 degrees in rooms engulfed in flames.

The Red Cross added that damaged materials that should be removed and replaced include many less-obvious items from around a home and inside the walls including: 

• Water Pipes
• Sewage Lines
• Electrical Wiring
• Furniture
• Stairs

Although these materials may operate normally, for now, their weakened state may jeopardize their long-term performance. Fire and heat-damaged home materials that were not properly evaluated may unexpectedly fail at any time, so it’s important that you receive proof that a comprehensive inspection took place.

Fire damage can leave behind ash and soot that can pose a health risk to its inhabitants, even long after the home was renovated and sold to you, but that’s not all. FEMA notes that a fire inside an older home can expose some dangerous materials that must be professionally remediated:

• Asbestos
• Lead
• Remnants of Leftover Chemicals 

However, these dangerous home construction materials aren’t all you have to consider. During a serious home fire, firefighters have just one objective: extinguishing the blaze as quickly and safely as possible. FEMA explains that even the fire-retardant materials used to fight home fires, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), can cause a number of associated health risks. When they slowly “build up in the body” due to long-term exposure, individuals may risk facing thyroid disease and various types of cancer. 

The risk to you as a potential home buyer comes if those materials were not fully eliminated from the home.  Particularly if the PFAS materials made their way into the home’s HVAC system, anyone inside would be at risk for prolonged exposure. Although it can be absorbed through the skin, the risk to you would likely be through the inhalation of these chemicals. As long as you have proof that these dangerous home construction materials and fire-fighting chemicals were fully eliminated, your prospective home should be safe.

Although home fires can expose dangerous construction materials and put you at risk for contact with fire-retardant chemicals used to combat the blaze, FEMA notes that one of the greatest ongoing dangers is something much more familiar: water. Particularly if you’re in the market to purchase a home damaged by fire, you need to ensure that all excess moisture was removed from the home before renovations took place.

Believe it or not, water damage in a home following a home fire can create ongoing problems that are just as bad as the fire itself. The main issue stems from mold, which can be toxic to residents and grow in a number of less obvious locations:

• Under and Behind Appliances
• Particle Board and Other Water-Sensitive Materials
• Insulation
• Furniture
• Drywall, Plaster, and Wallpaper

The home’s air itself may pose a big mold risk following a fire. After the home was saturated with water to extinguish the flames, it’s important any and all standing water and soaked materials were removed from the home. Furthermore, HUD  explains that speed drying should have taken place to rid the ambient air of moisture. If power was on in the home, the air conditioning or heat system should have been run, along with a dehumidifier. If power was not on in the home, the windows should have been left open to allow excess moisture to escape.

Putting a home back together following a fire is not for your typical home renovation company. According to FEMA, firefighters may have "cut holes in the roof, broken windows" and saturated the home with suppressing chemicals to stop the initial spread of a fire. All of these tactics to contain a home fire can cause tremendous home damage that extends well past the drywall and paint. 

Unfortunately, typical carpentry and renovation companies likely are not familiar with all the areas of a home that may have been impacted by the fire and fire-extinguishing actions:

• Structural Damage
• Plumbing Damage
• HVAC Damage
• Electrical Damage
• Warped Floors
• Other Wood Damage, Such As Doors and Framing Materials

Only professional companies with years of experience repairing fire-damaged structures know all the areas of a home that need to be inspected and repaired. If a less-experienced company was hired, these critical repairs may have been missed or overlooked.

HUD explains that after completing regulatory work or decontamination jobs, the homeowner should have received a clearance certificate or report from the professionals hired. You should review and confirm proper remediation took place by being given a copy of this document, which will also certify the removal of dangerous materials such as mold, lead, and asbestos.

If the seller cannot fully document all of the details of the fire, as well as provide receipts showing that all of the above steps were taken, you want to carefully consider whether the home is worth the risk. Unfortunately, it’s far too easy to slap on some new drywall and paint to conceal underlying fire damage that can compromise a home’s safety and longevity. While it is possible to get a great deal on a home that sustained fire damage, you need to fully investigate the incident. 

This is particularly true for homes that sustained fire damage and have not yet undergone renovations. Estimates for home repairs following a fire can quickly balloon, particularly as more time passes since the blaze. Ongoing issues, such as mold growth, may become apparent later, driving up your repair costs.

Purchasing a home that sustained fire damage requires some extra homework on your part. You need to know the size, scope, and date of the fire, and you need documentation that all appropriate steps were taken. You also want to know the home’s full history, including its age and construction, to know what kinds of dangerous materials may have been exposed.

If you can answer all of these questions, great! A home that suffered fire damage is often undervalued on the market, offering you a big value and the chance for great ROI. The Red Cross points out that homes renovated after a fire may also be safer. These renovated homes could have a much lower chance of future fires if they were updated with modern fire-resistant materials and now include up-to-date smoke alarms. Make sure to ask all of these questions before negotiating an offer. It’s not just important for your health and finances, but your peace of mind.

• https://www.ready.gov/fr/node/5137
• https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/fire/cleaning-up-after-fire.html
• https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/fema_after-fire_fact-sheet_2015.pdf 
• https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/HH_REBUILD_2015_DR.PDF
• https://www.usfa.fema.gov/training/coffee_break/021120.html 
• https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/fa_46.pdf