Loss Type: Fire / Smoke / Suppression Water Damage
Location: North Layton, UT near Oak Hills Drive
Response Time: 52 minutes
Job Duration: 8 days
Insurance: Yes – Allstate

The Situation

Layton Fire Department extinguished a kitchen fire in a single-family home near Oak Hills Drive on a Tuesday evening. The fire originated at the stovetop and spread to the range hood and upper cabinet before suppression. While the structural fire damage was contained to the kitchen, the suppression water from fire hoses had spread across the kitchen floor into the adjacent living room and down a hallway. Smoke odor had penetrated all rooms including the three upstairs bedrooms.

The homeowner called us from a neighbor’s house the same evening, 52 minutes after the fire was out. Upkeep’s fire damage restoration team was on-site before midnight with a full crew.

The Problem

Fire and smoke losses involve multiple overlapping damage categories simultaneously. The suppression water from firefighting is classified as Category 3 contaminated water under IICRC S500 because it contacts fire debris, ash, and chemical suppression agents. This meant all porous materials in the water’s path had to be treated as contaminated, not just wet.

Additionally, smoke odor from a stovetop grease fire is among the most penetrating odor types. The smoke had traveled through the HVAC system and deposited on surfaces in rooms with no visible fire damage. The Allstate adjuster was on-site the following morning.

What We Did

We prioritized three parallel workstreams: water extraction and Category 3 material removal, structural drying, and smoke odor documentation for the Allstate claim.

Water and contamination: We performed full water extraction on the kitchen and living room and removed all Category 3-affected porous materials — kitchen flooring, living room carpet, affected drywall sections in the hallway, and kitchen cabinet toe kicks. All materials were bagged and disposed of as contaminated waste.

Structural drying:

• 4 commercial dehumidifiers placed across the main level

• 6 air movers directed at exposed subfloor, wall framing, and hallway cavity

• Twice-daily readings for 6 days until all structural targets were met

Smoke odor: We performed full smoke and soot documentation of smoke-affected surfaces for the Allstate adjuster, including the HVAC duct system, all soft goods, wall surfaces, and attic access. Thermal fogger odor neutralization was performed on day 6 after structural drying was complete. The HVAC system was recommended for professional cleaning as a separate line item in the claim.

The Outcome

Structural drying was completed by day 6. Final clearance readings were documented on day 8. The Allstate claim covered the full remediation scope including smoke documentation, water damage extraction, contamination removal, and odor treatment. The home was handed off to a rebuild contractor with a complete moisture log, drying report, and smoke scope documentation for the insurance file. The family stayed with relatives during the process and returned to a structure that was dry, decontaminated, and odor-cleared before reconstruction began.

“Standing in front of your burned-out kitchen at 10 PM is about as bad as it gets. These guys showed up that night, explained everything, and took complete control of the situation. Eight days later the house was ready for rebuilding. Allstate paid everything. They were outstanding.”

— J. and L. Ferreira, Layton UT

View more of our water damage case studies from across Davis County. Related Layton projects include a sewage backup case study in Layton involving Category 3 water contamination and a burst pipe water damage in Layton with extensive ceiling and structural impact.