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An independent guide for El Paso County
Fire damage restoration in Colorado Springs, explained before you sign
What happens after a house fire, and after wildfire smoke drifts into a home that never burned: board-up, soot, odor, the written scope and the rebuild. Read it before a contractor hands you a contract.
Here, fire damage comes in two shapes
The first is the one everyone pictures. A pan flares on the stove, a wire shorts in the garage, a deck catches. That job runs in a set order: secure the building, haul out what burned, clean the soot, dry out the water the fire department used, then rebuild.
The second is common along the Front Range and rare almost anywhere else. A wildfire burns in the foothills, the wind shifts, and fine ash settles into attics, ductwork and couches across neighborhoods that never saw a flame. Nothing looks burned, yet the house smells like a campfire every time the furnace kicks on. Plenty of Colorado Springs households face both kinds over the years, and the cleanup for each is different.
The first 48 hours after a fire or a heavy smoke day
Most of the damage that drives up the bill happens after the fire is out: soot tracked through clean rooms, a furnace that spreads it, a broken window left open to a storm.
- Before anything
Wait for the fire department or the county to clear the building. Do not go inside before they do, even for a minute.
- Same day
Call your insurer and ask two questions: what the policy pays for smoke damage, and what it pays for a place to stay.
- Before the heat comes on
Pull the furnace filter before anyone switches the system back on.
- Until it's cleaned
Leave the HVAC off while heavy soot is present. Running it pushes residue into every room the ducts reach.
How a fire job runs, in the order it should
The order matters more than the speed. A crew that paints before it has dealt with the odor in the walls will be back next summer.
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Stabilize and secure
Plywood over broken windows and doors, a tarp over the roof, and the power and gas checked before anyone works inside.
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Inspect and document
Map where the smoke went and which kind of soot it left, open up the HVAC and the attic, and photograph all of it for the claim.
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Remove and clean
Haul out debris and anything that can't be saved, then clean the structure and your belongings with the method each soot type calls for.
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Kill the odor at its source
Treat the cavities, insulation and ductwork where smell hides, and seal surfaces only after the source is gone.
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Rebuild
Framing, roofing, drywall and paint, under permits from the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department.
Crews in hard hats and respirators on a charred staircase. Soot is a lung hazard, so expect protective gear on any real job.
Is your scope complete? Check it against this list
The written scope decides what gets cleaned, what gets torn out and what your insurer sees. Go through it line by line before work starts, and ask about anything missing.
Many insurers price claims in Xactimate. Ask for the scope and estimate in a format your adjuster can read, and for someone to walk you through each line.
A room taken down to the studs, with drying equipment running.
Cause and origin. Where the fire started and what burned, as the fire department or investigator recorded it.
Soot, room by room. Which rooms carry heavy, light or no residue, and which type: dry, wet and oily, or protein. Each one needs a different cleaning method.
Clean or remove, item by item. Every material marked for cleaning and sealing or for tear-out, with the reason written next to it.
HVAC and hidden spaces. Whether anyone actually opened the ductwork, the furnace, the attic and the wall cavities.
Your belongings. What gets packed out and cleaned, what goes to storage, what is listed as a loss, and how all of it is inventoried.
Odor, treated and tested. How the smell will be treated, and how someone will confirm it is gone before walls are closed or painted.
The rebuild. What reconstruction covers, in what order, and which permits it needs.
Smoke went further than the room that smells
Run a white cloth over these spots before anyone tells you the house is fine.
- A gray film on window sills, blinds and the tops of door frames.
- A smell that gets stronger the moment the furnace or air conditioning starts.
- Dark halos around ceiling vents, outlets or the attic hatch.
- Ash or fine soot on attic insulation after a nearby wildfire.
- Clothes, bedding and upholstery that smell of smoke in rooms that stayed closed.
Go deeper
Guides, checklists and neighborhood pages for fire and wildfire smoke around Colorado Springs.
- Fire & Smoke
One problem per guide.
- Checklists
Two kinds of checklist live here.
- Neighborhoods
A Victorian in the Old North End, a ranch on acreage in Black Forest and a manufactured home in Cimarron Hills burn differently and get cleaned differently.
Where the city runs into the foothills
Colorado Springs sits against Pikes Peak, and its western and northern neighborhoods back straight onto forest. The city knows what that means. The 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire destroyed hundreds of homes in Mountain Shadows. A year later the Black Forest Fire, northeast of town, destroyed hundreds more.
So fire restoration here splits two ways: full rebuilds for the homes that burned, and smoke and ash cleanup for the far larger number that didn't. Some restoration companies working El Paso County are based in the Springs. Others drive down from Denver, more than an hour north. Ask which one you are talking to.
- Ask whether the crew on your job is based in El Paso County or travels from the Denver area.
- Homes on the wildland-urban interface should get an attic and vent check after any fire nearby, even a small one.
- El Paso County and the City of Colorado Springs emergency management offices publish wildfire readiness and re-entry guidance.
- Manitou Springs, Fountain, Monument and Black Forest raise the same questions, with different building authorities and terrain.
ZIP codes served: 80903 (Colorado Springs), 80905 (Colorado Springs), 80909 (Colorado Springs), 80907 (Colorado Springs), 80910 (Colorado Springs), 80904 (Colorado Springs), 80918 (Colorado Springs), 80917 (Colorado Springs), 80915 (Colorado Springs), 80906 (Colorado Springs), 80914 (Colorado Springs), 80916 (Colorado Springs), 80919 (Colorado Springs), 80922 (Colorado Springs), 80923 (Colorado Springs), 80920 (Colorado Springs), 80951 (Colorado Springs), 80938 (Colorado Springs), 80924 (Colorado Springs), 80925 (Colorado Springs), 80927 (Colorado Springs), 80929 (Colorado Springs).
Also nearby: 80829, 80911, 80939, 80809, 80902, 80913, 80840, 80819, 80926, 80921, 80908, 80831.
Frequently Asked Questions
My house didn't burn, but it smells like smoke after a wildfire. Is that fire damage?
Yes. Smoke and ash residue count as damage, and many homeowners policies cover it, though the details vary by policy. Photograph what you see, write down what you smell and where, and call your insurer. Cleanup usually covers the HVAC system, the attic and soft goods like bedding and upholstery.
Can wildfire ash in the attic be left alone?
Better not. Ash in an attic keeps putting out odor, and air movement can pull it down into the rooms below. Have it inspected. Heavily contaminated insulation is usually removed and replaced.
How long does fire restoration take?
Light smoke cleanup can take a few days. A structure fire that needs rebuilding can take weeks or months, depending on how much burned, how long permits take and whether materials are on hand.
Is soot hazardous?
It can be. Soot is made of fine particles and can carry chemical residue from whatever burned, and both can irritate lungs and skin. Don't sweep or vacuum it with household equipment. Wear protective gear if you have to handle it, and keep children, older adults and anyone with breathing problems away.
Can belongings be cleaned as well as the house?
Often, yes. Contents can be cleaned on site, or packed out, cleaned and stored while the house is repaired. Either way, ask for a written inventory you can hand to your insurer.
Can the same company handle rebuilding, not just cleanup?
Some fire restoration companies do reconstruction as general contractors. Others clean up and hand the rebuild to a separate contractor. Ask which kind you are dealing with before you sign.
Does the house need to be boarded up after a fire?
If the fire or the firefighters broke windows, doors or the roof, yes. Board-up and roof tarping keep out weather, animals and people, and most insurance policies expect the owner to prevent further damage. Ask whether the restoration company includes board-up and tarping in its emergency work.
Describe the fire or smoke damage
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What a first call with a restoration company should cover
A careful company asks what kind of fire it was, whether the building has been cleared for re-entry, and which rooms are affected. After a structure fire, securing the building comes first. After wildfire smoke, ask for an inspection that shows how far the residue traveled and what can be cleaned, and get that scope in writing before work starts.
Start with three calls and a camera
Wait for the fire department or county to clear the building. Call your insurer. Photograph every room before anything moves. Then pick a restoration company you have checked out, have it secure the property, and get the scope in writing. If anyone is in danger, call 911 first.
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