24/7 Emergency Fire Damage Cleanup in Arkansas, AR
The flames are out and the engines are gone, and you are left in the yard trying to work out the next move. One free call to Unify Fire Solutions connects you with a licensed and insured independent restoration contractor who works in your part of Arkansas, AR. We answer around the clock, and dispatch starts while you are still on the phone.
- A free referral line that answers 24/7, holidays included
- Independent crews working in every part of Arkansas, AR
- Written, line-item estimates before any work begins
- Help lining up paperwork your insurance adjuster will ask for
One phone number for fire calls across Arkansas, AR
Unify Fire Solutions is not a restoration company. We are the dispatch desk that gets the right independent contractor moving toward your property.
Most people only deal with fire damage once in their lives, so nobody knows the order of operations. Who do you call first, the insurance company or a contractor? Can you go back inside? Who turns the power back on? Our dispatchers field these questions every day, from every part of Arkansas, AR, and we can usually point you in the right direction in a few minutes.
Calling +1-833-336-1630 puts you through to a live dispatcher who asks a handful of questions: what kind of property it is, whether firefighters have released the scene, whether hose water is still standing, and whether the roof or windows are open. Your answers tell us which independent crew in our network fits the job and how quickly the first visit needs to happen.
Every contractor we refer is a licensed and insured independent business that works locally. They own their equipment, employ their own crews, write their own estimates and answer for their own work. We handle the connection, so at 2 a.m. you are talking with a qualified local pro instead of scrolling through search results on your phone in the dark.
Calling costs nothing, and the line is staffed 24/7, including weekends and holidays. From a single-family home to a rented duplex, a condo unit or a storefront, the routing works the same way anywhere in Arkansas, AR.
Have a few things handy when you call, if you can: the property address, the name of your insurance company, your claim number if you already have one, and the incident number from the fire department. If you don't have any of that yet, that's fine. Lots of callers reach us from a neighbor's porch with only a phone, and the dispatcher will help you work out what to collect next.
What independent Fire Damage Cleanup crews in Arkansas, AR do
A fire leaves three separate problems behind: charred materials, smoke residue that spreads through the whole building, and the water used to knock the fire down. Here is how the independent contractors in our network approach each one.
Emergency mitigation and stabilization
Mitigation is the work of keeping the damage from spreading, and with fire it is a race against time. Soot is acidic. Within a few hours it starts to yellow plastics and vinyl, and within a couple of days it can etch glass, pit chrome fixtures and stain grout for good. Wet drywall and insulation from the hose lines can begin growing mold in 24 to 48 hours.
The contractor who arrives typically begins with a safety walk and then secures the structure. That often means boarding broken windows and doors with plywood, tarping holes in the roof, and setting temporary fencing if the property sits close to a sidewalk. Next comes water: truck-mounted or portable extraction units pull standing water out of carpet and subfloors, and wet pad is usually cut out and bagged.
Once the structure is stable, crews set up air scrubbers with HEPA filtration to capture airborne soot, and they may place the work area under negative air pressure so particles don't drift into clean rooms. Dehumidifiers and air movers go in where moisture meters show wet framing or drywall.
- Board-up of windows, doors and wall openings
- Tarps on the roof to keep weather off open framing
- Extraction of firefighting water and removal of wet materials
- HEPA air scrubbing plus moisture readings
Homes, condos and townhouses
Even when the flames stayed in one room, the damage almost never does. Smoke follows air pressure and temperature, which is why you find black rings around outlets in a bedroom at the far end of the hall, or soot lines on the carpet along the baseboards. A residential crew first maps how far the residue spread, room by room, before anyone touches a surface.
Dry soot from a fast, hot fire is powdery and comes off with dry chemical sponges and HEPA vacuums. Wet smoke from a slow, smoldering fire is greasy and calls for alkaline detergents and far more hand work. Kitchen fires leave protein residue, a nearly invisible film that smells terrible and turns surfaces sticky. Every residue needs its own chemistry, and the wrong product can push the stain further into paint and wood.
Charred materials get removed down to sound framing. Framing that is only blackened, not structurally weakened, is often cleaned with soda or dry ice blasting and then sealed with a shellac-based or pigmented sealing primer to lock in odor before new drywall goes up. It is fair to ask the crew which studs will stay and which will go, and to have that written into the estimate.
- Soot mapping and surface testing before cleaning
- Targeted tear-out of burned drywall, insulation and trim
- Blasting and sealing of smoke-stained framing
Businesses, rentals and multi-unit buildings
With a business or a rental unit, the list of questions gets longer fast. A restaurant owner needs to know when the hood system can be inspected and the health inspector called back. A landlord needs to know which units are habitable and which tenants need temporary housing. A property manager with a fire in one unit of a fourplex has to stop smoke from moving through the shared attic and ducts.
Commercial-focused contractors tend to work in phases so part of the building can stay open. They build temporary poly containment walls with zip-door access, run negative air machines, and schedule the loudest demolition for nights or weekends. For a retail space, that might mean the sales floor reopens while the stockroom is still under containment.
Inventory is its own problem. Smoke-exposed food, medication, cosmetics and anything in permeable packaging usually has to be discarded and documented for the claim. Ask the crew to photograph and list disposed inventory with quantities so your business interruption and property claims line up.
- Phased work plans that keep part of the space open
- Containment between occupied and damaged units
- Itemized disposal records for the insurance file
Multi-unit buildings add a building code question. Fire-rated assemblies, such as the drywall between units or around a stairwell, have to be rebuilt to the same rating, and damaged fire alarm or sprinkler components need a licensed trade to restore them. Ask the crew if those items are part of their estimate or will go to a separate trade.
For landlords and property managers: request a brief written status for each unit, livable or not, that you can forward to tenants and your carrier that day.
Contents cleaning, odor control, ductwork and water
The smell is what most people remember afterward. It gets into clothes, mattresses, the couch, the kids' stuffed animals, and the inside of every closed drawer. Contents specialists pack out salvageable belongings, inventory them box by box, and clean them off site using ultrasonic tanks for hard goods and specialty laundering or dry cleaning for textiles. Electronics often go to a separate vendor who can clean the circuit boards before soot corrodes them.
Deodorization comes after the cleaning, not as a substitute for it. Crews may use thermal fogging, which mimics the heat of the fire to carry deodorizer into the same pores the smoke reached, or hydroxyl generators that can run while people are present. Ozone treatment is effective but requires an empty building, no people, pets or plants, so ask before it is used.
An HVAC system that was running during the fire pushed smoke into every room on that system. A duct cleaning crew will inspect the air handler, coil and duct runs, clean or replace flex duct, and swap filters. It is reasonable to ask whether the contractor works to IICRC guidance, including S700 for fire and smoke damage and S500 for water damage.
- Contents pack-out with an itemized inventory
- Thermal fogging, hydroxyl or ozone deodorization
- Inspection and cleaning of ducts, coil and air handler
The water from the hoses is what most people underestimate. An engine can put hundreds of gallons into a building in a few minutes, and it runs down into wall cavities, under cabinets and through ceilings to the floor below. Mixed with soot and ash, it is dirty water, so wet carpet, pad and insulation are usually removed rather than dried in place. Crews pull baseboards or drill small vent holes to dry wall cavities, and they log moisture readings until the framing is back to a normal dry level.
- Drying of wall cavities soaked by hose water
- Electronics cleaned by a specialty vendor
Standing in front of a burned house right now?
Call the free line and a dispatcher will walk you through the next hour and start finding an independent crew near you.
Call +1-833-336-1630What you can expect from a Unify Fire Solutions referral
Nobody can promise the cost of a fire job or the length of a rebuild. These are the things we can say plainly.
Written estimates up front
The independent contractor provides a written, line-item estimate before work starts, and you should always ask for one. Most crews in Arkansas, AR write estimates in the same software insurance adjusters use, which makes comparing the two much easier.
Dispatch at any hour
Someone answers 24/7, and dispatch begins as soon as you call. Arrival time depends on which crews are free and how far away they are, and it is often the same day.
Local crews across the state
Our network covers metro areas, suburbs and small towns throughout Arkansas, AR. The crew you get is local to your area and knows how the nearby building department and utilities operate.
Licensed and insured pros
We refer callers only to licensed and insured independent contractors. Still, verify the license and the certificate of insurance yourself before signing, and ask whether the crew follows IICRC S700 guidance.
Another contractor if the first isn't right
If the first contractor isn't the right fit, for any reason, call back and we'll connect you with another one. It might be scheduling, a second estimate your adjuster asked for, or just a bad fit in personality. Any of those is a fine reason.
On bigger fire losses, a second estimate is normal, and plenty of adjusters prefer it. Make sure both estimates cover the same scope, line for line, so the comparison is fair.
A step-by-step guide after a fire
No two fires are alike, yet the sequence of decisions is remarkably similar anywhere in Arkansas, AR. Use this as a checklist while you wait for a crew.
- 1
Safety first, then the call
Stay out until the fire department tells you it's safe to return. Then call +1-833-336-1630, answer a few questions about the scene, the water and any openings, and a dispatcher will start finding a crew.
- 2
Crew arrives and secures
The contractor walks the property with you, documents it in photos, and boards or tarps openings. If water is standing, extraction often starts on the first visit.
- 3
Written scope and estimate
You get a written, line-item estimate that separates emergency mitigation from repairs. It goes to your adjuster, and only emergency stabilization should proceed before you sign.
- 4
Cleaning, drying and deodorizing
The crew tears out burned materials, dries the building, cleans soot from each surface, and deals with the odor. Moisture readings and photos are logged daily so the adjuster can see the progress.
- 5
Repairs and final walkthrough
Permitted repairs follow, from framing and electrical to drywall, paint and flooring. Before paying the final bill, walk through with the contractor and write down anything still unfinished.
In the first hour, before a crew gets there: get everyone out and accounted for, including pets. Wait for the fire department to release the scene before going back in, and leave the breaker panel alone. Write down the incident number the firefighters give you; your insurer will ask for it. If you can safely do so from outside, take wide photos and video of every side of the building.
Fire department release and red-tagged properties
The fire department controls the property until it formally releases the scene. When investigators are still determining the cause, you could be kept out for several hours or, now and then, a few days.
After release, a local building official may post a placard on the door. Green usually means occupancy is allowed, yellow means restricted entry, and red means no one enters until an engineer or official evaluates it. The placard system differs from one jurisdiction to the next in Arkansas, AR, so read the notice and call the number on it.
A red tag doesn't block exterior mitigation. Crews can still board, tarp and fence, and many work with a structural engineer to get the red tag lifted.
Power, gas and water shutoffs
During the fire, crews often pull the electric meter and shut the gas. Once a utility has been shut off for a fire, the provider usually will not restore service until the system is inspected, and sometimes a licensed electrician or plumber must sign off first.
For that reason, restoration crews usually arrive with generators to power the scrubbers and dehumidifiers. Call your electric, gas and water providers yourself to report the fire and ask what they need to restore service.
If water service is still live and a line ruptured in the heat, close the main shutoff. It is usually near the meter or where the line enters the house.
Working with your insurance adjuster
Call your insurance company the same day and get a claim number. Nearly every policy expects you to prevent additional damage, and that is the purpose of emergency mitigation. You don't have to wait for the adjuster to approve boarding, tarping or drying, though you should keep every receipt.
Independent contractors across Arkansas, AR usually produce two separate invoices: one for mitigation (board-up, extraction, drying, soot cleanup) and one for restoration (rebuilding). Adjusters handle the two differently, so separating them keeps the claim moving. Ask for dated photos, daily moisture logs, and a contents inventory, and request copies of everything sent to the insurer.
If the home isn't livable, many policies include additional living expenses (sometimes called loss of use) for temporary housing, meals and similar costs. Coverage limits differ, so ask your agent what yours includes and save every receipt.
Building permits for fire repairs
Cleaning and mitigation usually don't need a permit. Structural repairs, rewiring, new framing, a new roof and HVAC replacement nearly always require one. In Arkansas, AR, local city and county building departments issue permits, which means forms, fees and inspection timing differ by location.
A local contractor who knows the nearby office will usually pull the permit under their own license. Make sure the permit is posted on site and that inspections are signed off before walls are closed up. The insurer may want the final inspection sign-off before it releases the last check.
Older homes can raise extra questions once walls are open. When the house is old enough to have asbestos in ceiling texture, flooring or duct wrap, or lead paint, testing may be needed before tear-out. The repairs might also need to meet today's code instead of the original one, and some policies cover that under ordinance or law coverage, so ask your agent.
Rentals: who handles what
With a rental property, the structure and the renter's belongings typically fall under different policies. Usually the owner's policy covers the building and fixtures, and the renter's policy covers the tenant's furniture, clothes and temporary housing.
Landlords should contact tenants in writing about access, timelines and whether the unit is habitable. Tenants should photograph their own belongings before the pack-out and get a copy of the contractor's contents inventory. Rules for both sides come from Arkansas, AR law and the lease, so review the lease and contact a local housing office or attorney with questions.
Either party can call the line. We usually suggest the property owner authorize the structural work and the tenant handle their own contents claim, with the same crew doing both if everyone agrees.
Reopening a small business after a fire
For a business, every closed day costs money, so speed of mitigation matters even more. Ask your commercial carrier about business interruption coverage and track lost income starting on day one.
Food service, salons, clinics and grocers usually need a health or fire inspection before they can reopen. Ask the contractor for a phased schedule and a written list of what must be finished before each inspection.
Back up the point-of-sale system, payroll records and customer files before anyone moves the computers. If you lease the space, notify the landlord right away, since the lease normally says who pays for which repairs.
Why the first 24 to 72 hours matter: soot continues to etch finishes, wet building materials begin to grow mold, and smoke odor sinks further into porous surfaces every day. Getting mitigation going early is often the biggest factor in how much can be cleaned instead of thrown out.
Notes from people who called the line
Shared with permission, with last names shortened.
The dryer vent caught at about eleven at night. By the time the fire department cleared us, I couldn't think straight. The dispatcher asked me five or six simple questions and told me to get the incident number before the engine left. The contractor was there the next morning, boarded the laundry room, and had extraction going before my adjuster even called back.
I have two duplexes I rent out, and one of my tenants had a stovetop fire. What helped most was the contractor keeping the mitigation bill separate from the rebuild estimate. My adjuster approved the first one within a week, and the tenant next door never had to move out because the crew sealed the shared wall and attic.
We rented our place and the fire started in the unit below us. I had no idea my renter's insurance covered a hotel until the dispatcher told me to ask my agent about it. The crew packed out our clothes and the kids' things and gave me a typed inventory, which made the claim a lot easier.
My restaurant went dark on a Friday after a grease fire. The contractor set up plastic walls so we could get the dining room cleaned and inspected while they kept working on the kitchen. They wrote out exactly what needed finishing before the health inspection, and we passed on the first try.
The first company I was sent couldn't start for almost a week. I called back, said that wouldn't work, and the dispatcher connected me with a different crew who started the next day. No pushback and no runaround, which was exactly what I needed.
Fire damage questions from Arkansas, AR callers
How fast can a Fire Damage Cleanup technician arrive in Arkansas, AR?
Dispatch starts the moment you call, and the phone is answered 24/7. Arrival depends on which independent crews are free and how far they have to drive to reach your property. In most of Arkansas, AR it is often the same day, and the dispatcher will tell you what to expect before you hang up.
Do you provide upfront pricing?
We don't set prices, since Unify Fire Solutions is a referral line and not the contractor. The independent crew writes a line-item estimate before work begins, and you should have it in hand before you sign. Emergency board-up or water extraction may begin right away to prevent more damage, but ask the crew to explain those charges in writing too.
What emergency services are available?
The crews we refer usually cover board-up, tarping, extraction of firefighting water, drying, soot removal, air scrubbing and deodorization. Many also offer contents pack-out and storage, HVAC and duct cleaning, and full rebuilding after the cleanup. Tell the dispatcher what you're seeing and we'll match you with a crew that does that work.
Do contractors in AR work directly with my insurance company?
Most independent contractors in AR are used to working alongside insurance adjusters. They document the damage with photos, moisture readings and a line-item estimate, and they can send that file to your adjuster with your permission. The policy is still your contract with your insurer, so you have the final say and should keep a copy of every document.
Do I need a permit for fire damage repairs in Arkansas, AR?
Cleanup and drying generally don't need one, while structural, electrical, roof and HVAC work nearly always does. Your city or county building department issues permits in Arkansas, AR, and the rules differ from place to place. A local contractor will usually pull the permit and schedule inspections for you.
Can I stay in my house after a fire?
It depends on the fire department's release, any building placard, and whether utilities can be safely turned back on. Even after a minor fire, soot and odor can make the home unhealthy to sleep in, particularly for children, older adults and people with asthma. Check with your insurer about additional living expense coverage for a hotel or rental.
Should I call my insurance company or a contractor first?
Do both the same day, in whichever order you can. Your policy almost certainly requires you to prevent further damage, so you don't have to wait for the adjuster before boarding up or removing water. Get a claim number, keep every receipt, and let the contractor know your claim number so their paperwork matches.
What should I throw away after a fire?
Throw out food, medicine and cosmetics that were exposed to heat, smoke or firefighting water. Before you toss anything else, photograph it and list it for the claim; the contractor can help decide what is salvageable. Clothing, dishware and solid furniture that look ruined can often be cleaned.
Is it safe to clean up soot myself?
Wiping soot with a wet rag usually smears it deeper into paint and fabric, and some residue contains acids and fine particles you don't want to breathe. If you must go in for essentials, wear gloves and an N95 mask, and keep fans and the HVAC off. Let the crew handle cleanup, since they'll test the residue and pick the correct products.
Does Unify Fire Solutions serve every part of Arkansas, AR?
The network covers metro areas, suburbs and rural towns across Arkansas, AR. In remote areas the nearest crew may be farther away, so the dispatcher will be upfront about expected timing. Call +1-833-336-1630 with the property address and we'll let you know who can reach it.
Statewide Fire Damage Cleanup coverage in Arkansas, AR
A single number connects you with independent crews anywhere in Arkansas, AR, from crowded metro blocks to farmhouses on long rural roads.
Around the larger metros, several contractors are often within reach, which lets the dispatcher match on a specialty like commercial kitchens or condo towers. In suburbs, crews tend to handle a lot of attached garage fires, dryer vent fires and kitchen fires in single-family homes. In rural parts of Arkansas, AR, the nearest crew may travel farther, and they often arrive with generators and trailers because utility restoration can take longer.
- Single-family homes
- Condos and townhouses
- Apartment buildings
- Rental duplexes
- Mobile and manufactured homes
- Restaurants
- Retail stores
- Offices
- Warehouses
- Churches and schools
- Detached garages
- Barns and outbuildings
Callers tell us about kitchen fires, clogged dryer vents, space heaters, wiring faults, candles, lightning, grills, garage fires, furnace puff-backs and fires that spread from next door. Whatever the cause, the first call is the same.
If you are out of state when it happens, say at a rental property or a parent's home, you can still call. The dispatcher can work with a neighbor, tenant or manager who is on site, and the contractor can email you photos and the written estimate before anything past emergency stabilization starts.
