Cleanup is the part of a fire people most want to start and most often start too early. The instinct is to get the burned things out, open the windows and scrub. In New York, there are good reasons to slow down: the building may not be cleared, a vacate order may be in place, an insurer may want to see the damage before it disappears, and the City Council’s fire guide says the clean-up company should test for asbestos before materials are torn out. This page sets out fire damage cleanup in NYC in the order the city’s guidance puts it, from the all-clear to the point where repairs can begin.
NYC Fire Damage Restoration is an independent referral service, not a restoration company. When you send the form, your details go to an independent local restoration provider serving New York City, who can contact you, inspect and quote any work directly. You decide whether to hire them.
Ready to plan the cleanup? Send the request, and an independent local restoration provider can contact you.
Before cleanup: the all-clear and the inspections
According to the City Council’s Residential Fire Emergency Response Guide, once a fire is out the fire department declares the building safe for city agencies to enter. Fire Marshals inspect to determine the cause. The Department of Buildings assesses the structure and may issue a vacate order, and HPD inspects apartments for habitability and may issue one as well. DOB says no one can enter a structure or building that has a vacate order in effect.
So the first cleanup step is not cleaning. It is confirming, with the fire department, that you may go in, and checking whether any order has been posted. NYC Emergency Management adds one more instruction for this stage: do not attempt to reconnect utilities. The City Council’s guide tells tenants to call the gas and electric providers to suspend service.
The cleanup, in order
- Photograph and inventory. NYC Emergency Management advises against throwing away any damaged goods until after an inventory is made. Photograph each room from the doorway, then each damaged item where it is. Write the list as you go.
- Contact your insurer and the building. If you are insured, NYC Emergency Management advises contacting the insurer for instructions on protecting the property, conducting the inventory and contacting fire damage restoration companies. Tell the super or managing agent, and your mortgage company if you have one.
- Secure the openings. Broken windows, doors and holes in the roof are boarded up so weather and intruders stay out. See emergency board up.
- Test before tearing out. The Council’s guide says testing for asbestos should be done by the landlord’s clean-up company. Ask that it happens before damaged walls, ceilings, floors or pipe insulation are torn out.
- Remove standing water and start drying. Water from hoses and sprinklers has to come out quickly. The EPA advises drying water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth.
- Remove debris and charred materials. Burned furniture, collapsed ceiling material, charred drywall and flooring that cannot be saved, once listed and photographed.
- Clean what can be saved. Soot and smoke residue on surfaces and belongings. Loose soot is generally removed dry first, since an extension service’s fire cleanup guide warns that water and cleaning solutions drive soot further into surfaces. See soot cleaning and contents cleaning and pack-out.
- Deal with odor. Once the residue is out, the smell that remains in porous materials. See smoke odor removal.
- Hand over to repairs. What is left is a building ready to be rebuilt, under permits where the work needs them. See fire damage repair.
Asbestos testing before anything is torn out
When a fire damages walls, ceilings, floor tiles or pipe insulation, it helps to know what is in them before they are torn out. The City Council’s fire guide is direct about this: testing should be done by the landlord’s clean-up company for asbestos.
Tenants have a route of their own. The same guide says a tenant can call 311 to request a DEP inspector to take samples, and that this pauses clean-up. If you are a tenant and worried about what is being torn out of your building, that is the step to know about. If you own a house or a unit, ask any provider who inspects how they handle asbestos testing before demolition in your building, and get the answer in writing.
Who is responsible for cleaning up after a fire?
In a rental building, the City Council’s guide says building management hires the vendors for clean-up, remediation and rebuilding. The landlord’s contractor files permit applications with DOB before rebuilding. Inside a co-op or condo apartment, the answer depends on the building’s documents and your policy: ask the managing agent where the building’s work ends and yours begins, and check your own policy or agent. In a house you own, it is yours to arrange, usually with your insurer’s instructions in hand.
| Your home | Who generally arranges the cleanup | Ask first |
|---|---|---|
| Rental apartment | Building management, per the Council’s guide | What the landlord’s vendor is doing in your unit; your renters insurer about your belongings |
| Co-op or condo apartment | Split between the building and the owner | The managing agent, the board’s documents and your own insurer |
| Brownstone, townhouse or house | The owner | Your insurer, and your mortgage company if you have one |
| Storefront or restaurant | The business and the landlord, by the lease | Your lease, your insurer and the landlord |
Safety during fire damage cleanup
Cleanup after a fire happens in a damaged building, often with the power off and water on the floor. The rules below come from the EPA and the CDC.
- Electricity and water. The CDC advises switching off the main power only if the panel can be reached from a dry place. Never turn power on or off, or use an electric tool or appliance, while standing in water. Have an electrician check the system before the power is turned back on.
- Gas. If you smell gas or suspect a leak, the CDC says to turn off the main gas valve, open the windows and leave at once.
- Generators. The EPA says portable generators go outside, at least 20 feet from buildings, never inside a home or garage. Their carbon monoxide can kill in minutes.
- Chemicals. The EPA warns against mixing cleaning products or adding bleach to other chemicals.
- Standing water. The EPA calls standing water and wet materials a breeding ground for viruses, bacteria and mold. If water is contaminated with sewage, it advises calling in a professional experienced with contaminated water.
Mold after the cleanup
The water used to fight a fire can lead to mold if it is not dried in time, which is why drying sits so early in the order above. The EPA says the key to mold control is moisture control. If mold does appear, the EPA says an area of less than about 10 square feet can in most cases be handled yourself. In New York, larger jobs in bigger buildings have rules of their own: the Health Department says that where the area is more than 10 square feet in a building with 10 or more apartments, owners must use New York State Department of Labor licensed mold assessment and remediation workers. The fire and water damage guide covers drying in detail.
What to ask a provider about the cleanup
- What will be removed and what will be cleaned, room by room, in writing.
- How they handle asbestos testing before demolition.
- How they will document items before anything is thrown away, and whether you get a copy.
- How the drying will be checked, and how you will know when it is done.
- Whether the work needs a permit, and who files it.
When you send the request, include the borough, the building type and whether you can get back in. An independent local restoration provider can contact you, inspect and quote directly. Asking is free, and the decision to hire stays yours. If smoke reached rooms the fire did not, read the page on smoke damage restoration NYC as well.
Questions people ask
Who cleans up after a house burns down?
In a house you own, you arrange it, usually with your insurer’s instructions. NYC Emergency Management advises contacting the insurer for instructions on protecting the property, the inventory and contacting fire damage restoration companies.
Can I start cleaning before the insurer sees the damage?
Make the inventory and photographs first, and ask your insurer for instructions before throwing anything away. NYC Emergency Management advises against discarding damaged goods until an inventory is made.
Is asbestos testing needed after a fire in NYC?
The City Council’s fire guide says testing for asbestos should be done by the landlord’s clean-up company, and that a tenant can call 311 to request a DEP inspector to take samples, which pauses clean-up.
Can I clean up while a vacate order is in place?
No one can enter a structure or building with a vacate order in effect, according to DOB. The owner corrects the conditions and each agency that issued an order inspects and lifts it.
Does NYC Fire Damage Restoration do the cleanup?
No. It is an independent referral service. Your request goes to an independent local restoration provider, who quotes and does any work directly.
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