Commercial Fire Damage
Full-scale commercial fire restoration to get your business back up and running fast.
Our Commercial Fire Damage Process
Emergency Call
Call our 24/7 line — crew dispatched immediately.
60-Min Arrival
We arrive, assess, and brief you on the plan.
Mitigation
Stop damage from spreading — fast.
Full Restoration
Certified restoration to pre-loss condition.
Commercial Fire Damage in Fairfield County, CT & Westchester County, NY
Commercial fire damage restoration has the highest stakes and tightest timelines of any restoration discipline we perform. Every day a commercial property is closed is direct revenue lost, payroll obligations continuing, customer or client relationships at risk, and Business Interruption coverage paying out (or not). The IICRC S700 protocol applies the same as residential — but commercial operations require coordinated work with property management, building occupants, multiple tenants in multi-tenant buildings, business interruption adjusters, franchise corporates, and sometimes regulatory bodies (Health Department, Fire Marshal, BBB).
911 Storm provides commercial fire damage restoration across Fairfield County, CT and Westchester County, NY for restaurants, hotels, retail, offices, medical practices, schools, country clubs, marinas, and industrial facilities. Our crews work IICRC S700 protocol with commercial-scale equipment and overnight/weekend deployment capability to minimize downtime. Direct billing to commercial property carriers (Chubb Commercial, Travelers, Liberty Mutual Commercial, AIG Commercial, The Hartford) plus coordination with BI carriers.
Common commercial fire scenarios and timelines
Restaurant kitchen fires — most common commercial fire we respond to. Grease fires, equipment failures, electrical. Health Department clearance required before reopening. Hood vent certification (NFPA 96) may need reissuing after fire-related cleanup. Typical scope $30K-$150K depending on kitchen scale and smoke migration to dining areas. Hotel kitchen or guest-room fires — smoke migration to adjacent rooms via HVAC. Room block management to minimize revenue impact. Franchise spec matching for reconstruction (Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt brand standards).
Retail fires — usually smaller scope but heavy time pressure. Sales floor downtime equals lost revenue. Office building fires — multi-tenant coordination requirement; isolated tenant fire can affect neighboring tenants via HVAC and shared walls. Medical and dental practice fires — healthcare-grade air quality clearance, HIPAA-aware documentation, practice license considerations. Industrial fires — specialized equipment cleaning coordination, longer timeline due to equipment manufacturer involvement.
How we minimize commercial downtime
Phased scope sequencing: highest-revenue or highest-priority zones cleared first while remaining zones continue work. For example, restaurant dining room cleared and reopened before back-of-house finishes; office building's main entrance and lobby cleared before tenant suite work continues; hotel's most-booked room categories cleared before secondary inventory.
Overnight and weekend deployment: commercial restoration crews work 24/7 when the operational economics support it. Overtime hours bill at standard commercial rates, which BI carriers typically support because every avoided day of closure substantially exceeds overtime premium. After-hours cleaning, drying equipment runs, and even some reconstruction work happens off-business-hours to minimize tenant or occupant disruption.
Parallel scope execution: where residential restoration runs sequentially (mitigation → demolition → drying → cleaning → reconstruction), commercial often runs parallel — multiple zones at different phases simultaneously, sometimes multiple trades on site at once, all coordinated by a single project manager. Compresses overall timeline.
Commercial property and BI insurance coordination
Commercial property policies typically include both Property Damage and Business Interruption (BI) coverage. The property side covers physical restoration scope (mitigation, demolition, cleaning, deodorization, reconstruction). The BI side covers lost income during the closure period (after typical 24-72 hour waiting period). We document the loss for both: property scope to IICRC S700 standards for the property carrier, restoration timeline data for the BI carrier to calculate income replacement.
For multi-tenant buildings, we maintain separate billing detail per tenant where required by lease structure or insurance arrangement. For franchise operations (restaurants, hotels), we coordinate with franchise corporate on brand spec matching for reconstruction. Major commercial carriers we direct-bill routinely: Chubb Commercial, Travelers, Liberty Mutual Commercial, AIG Commercial, The Hartford, CNA, Zurich, Cincinnati Insurance.
Related Fire Damage Services
How Long Does Commercial Fire Damage Take?
Every job is different, but here's a realistic timeline for most commercial fire damage projects.
Emergency Call
0 min24/7 dispatch after fire department clears the property.
Board-Up + Tarping
Day 1 (same day)Secure openings, prevent weather/water intrusion.
Soot + Smoke Cleanup
Day 2-7HEPA vac, dry/wet sponge cleaning, surface wipe-down.
Odor Removal
Day 5-14Thermal fogging, hydroxyl/ozone treatment, HVAC decon.
Reconstruction
Day 14-60+Drywall, paint, trim, cabinetry, flooring — pre-loss condition.
Timelines vary with scope, insurance adjuster response, and hidden damage discovered during work. Your detailed timeline is given after the on-site assessment.
Common Questions
Commercial Fire Damage FAQ
Can my business stay open during commercial fire restoration?
Often yes with phased scope sequencing — affected zones containerized, unaffected zones continuing operations. For total-area fires, partial or full closure may be necessary. We work overnight and weekend deployment to minimize daytime disruption. The trade-off between overtime cost and lost business revenue is usually heavily in favor of overtime, and BI carriers typically support the decision.
How does Business Interruption coverage work after a commercial fire?
Most commercial property policies pair with BI coverage that pays lost income during the closure period (after a typical 24-72 hour waiting period). We provide the BI carrier with restoration timeline data — affected square footage tracking, operational disruption documentation, scope timeline — for them to calculate income replacement payment. Some businesses also carry Extra Expense coverage for temporary relocation costs and Civil Authority coverage for closures mandated by external authority (fire marshal, health department).
Do you coordinate with Health Department, Fire Marshal, or other regulatory bodies for reopening?
Yes — particularly for restaurant kitchen fires (Health Department reopening clearance, NFPA 96 hood vent recertification) and any commercial fire where regulatory inspection is required before reoccupancy. We document the cleanup work in formats that satisfy inspector review and coordinate scheduling. For Fairfield + Westchester municipalities we have established working relationships with the local Health Departments and Fire Marshals.
Can you handle franchise restaurant or hotel fire restoration?
Yes. Franchise restaurants (Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Starbucks, McDonald's, etc.) require reconstruction to franchise brand spec — finishes, signage, brand standards. We coordinate with franchise corporate or property owner on spec verification and document scope compliance for approval before reconstruction begins. Standard practice for our commercial fire work.
How long does commercial fire restoration take?
Confined-area restaurant fire (one section + cleanup + Health Dept clearance): 14-30 days. Multi-area office or retail fire with HVAC decon: 30-60 days. Major commercial fire requiring extensive reconstruction: 3-9+ months. Hotel fires affecting multiple rooms with phased reopening: 30-90 days for affected rooms, longer for full property restoration. Reconstruction phase often takes longer than the cleanup phase, particularly when specialty trades (kitchen equipment, HVAC, electrical) are involved.
Damage Doesn't Wait — Neither Do We
60-minute response. Free estimate. We handle your insurance claim.
IICRC Certified • Licensed & Insured • All Major Insurance Carriers