Fire & Smoke Damage Restoration

A fire does not stop causing damage when the flames go out. Smoke and soot begin migrating immediately — traveling room to room through your HVAC system, open doorways, and wall cavities. In many fire and smoke damage losses across Myrtle Beach, Conway, North Myrtle Beach, and throughout Horry County, the smoke and soot contamination extends far beyond the burn area, affecting rooms that never saw a flame. That is why Restoration 1 of Horry County assesses the entire structure — not just the area that burned.

As an IICRC Certified Firm with IICRC certified technicians, we follow the IICRC S700 Standard for Professional Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration on every job — the same standard your insurance carrier expects. We have been serving Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand since 2016 and respond 24/7 to fire damage emergencies throughout Horry County, Georgetown County, and surrounding areas.

Our Fire & Smoke Damage Restoration Process:

1. Emergency Response & Property Securing: We respond immediately, 24/7, to fire damage emergencies throughout Myrtle Beach, Conway, North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, Murrells Inlet, Little River, Pawleys Island, and surrounding areas. We assess the damage and secure your property — boarding up windows and doors and tarping damaged roofs to prevent further exposure to weather and unauthorized entry.
2. Comprehensive Structural Assessment: We conduct a full assessment of the entire property — not just the burn area. Smoke and soot travel through HVAC systems and open doorways throughout the structure. We inspect every room, wall cavity, and surface that may have been affected by smoke, soot, or odor contamination.
3. Water Removal & Structural Drying: Firefighting efforts often leave significant water damage throughout the property. We extract standing water and begin structural drying immediately. In Horry County's coastal climate, where humidity regularly exceeds 80%, water left untreated after a fire can lead to mold growth within 24 to 48 hours.
4. Smoke & Soot Removal: Using specialized equipment and professional-grade cleaning agents, we remove smoke residue and soot from all affected surfaces — walls, ceilings, floors, contents, and structural materials throughout the property.
5. Odor Elimination: Smoke odor cannot be masked — it must be eliminated at the source. We use ozone generators and hydroxyl technology to neutralize smoke odors throughout the entire structure, including inside wall cavities, attics, crawlspaces, and HVAC ductwork. This is the only permanent solution to smoke odor removal.
6. Content Pack-Out & Restoration: Salvageable contents — furniture, clothing, electronics, and personal belongings — are assessed, inventoried, and coordinated with a licensed and insured content cleaning specialist. Your belongings are professionally cleaned and stored in a secure facility until your home or business in Myrtle Beach or the surrounding area is fully restored and ready.
7. Trade Coordination: A full fire restoration involves more than one company. We coordinate all licensed and insured vendors — electricians for temporary power and panel assessment, HVAC contractors to inspect and clean smoke-damaged ductwork, and plumbers to verify all plumbing is intact after firefighting efforts. You have one point of contact for every trade.
8. Air Quality Control: Air scrubbers and HEPA filtration equipment are deployed throughout the property to remove airborne smoke particles and restore safe indoor air quality — especially important in homes with children, elderly residents, or anyone with respiratory sensitivities.
9. Documentation: Every step of the fire and smoke damage restoration process is fully documented — photos, scope of work, air quality readings, content inventories, and before-and-after records — to support your insurance claim and provide a complete record for your adjuster.
10. Restoration & Repairs: Once the structure is cleaned, dried, and deodorized, our reconstruction team handles everything from drywall and flooring to full structural repairs and rebuilds. From the first call through the final walkthrough — one company, one point of contact, start to finish.

If you have experienced a fire in Myrtle Beach, Conway, North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, Murrells Inlet, Little River, Pawleys Island, or anywhere in Horry or Georgetown County — the first thing to understand is this: a fire claim is not a water damage claim.

Water damage needs to be addressed within hours. A fire loss is different. The structure has already been damaged, the fire is out, and in most cases you have time to make the right decisions. Do not let anyone rush you into signing a full restoration contract the day of the fire.

Fire Chasers Are Real — And They Show Up Fast.

Some restoration companies in the Myrtle Beach area monitor emergency scanners and arrive at fire scenes — sometimes before the fire department has even cleared the property. They arrive with contracts ready and will use the chaos and emotion of the moment to get a signature. You do not need to sign anything that day, and you should not feel pressured to do so.

Board-Up Is the One Exception.

Your property needs to be secured immediately after a fire — windows, doors, and any structural openings need to be boarded up and damaged roofs need to be tarped to prevent weather damage, theft, and further loss. If a company offers board-up services and you are comfortable with them, you can sign a contract for that service. Board-up and board-up only. Do not sign anything broader than that on the day of the loss.

Take Your Time Choosing Your Fire Restoration Contractor.

A full fire restoration in Horry County can take weeks or months — from initial smoke and soot cleanup through reconstruction and final repairs. This is one of the most significant decisions you will make after a loss. Research local restoration companies, read reviews, verify their certifications, and choose a contractor you trust. There is no reason to make that decision in the first 24 hours.

When evaluating fire damage restoration companies in Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand, here is what to look for:

• IICRC Certified Firm — firm-level certification, not just individual technician certifications

• Licensed and insured — and the same standard for every subcontractor they coordinate

• Local and established — a company with roots in Horry County and verifiable reviews, not one that showed up the day of the fire

• Single point of contact — one company coordinating content pack-out, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and full reconstruction

• Experience with insurance carriers — able to provide complete documentation and work directly with your adjuster from day one

Your Insurance Company May Push Their Preferred Vendor.

Let them assess the damage — you want everything documented. But understand this: a preferred vendor is selected and paid by the insurance carrier, which means their primary obligation is to the carrier, not to you. You have the right to choose your own fire damage restoration contractor in South Carolina. Exercise that right.

When you are ready to talk, Restoration 1 of Horry County is here. We have been serving Myrtle Beach, Conway, North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, Murrells Inlet, Little River, Pawleys Island, and Georgetown County since 2016. We are an IICRC Certified Firm, we coordinate all licensed and insured vendors required for a complete fire restoration, and we will give you an honest, no-pressure assessment of the full scope of damage at no cost.