Quick answer
Fire damage restoration typically costs $3,000–$8,000 for smoke and soot cleanup after a small contained fire, $10,000–$30,000 for a kitchen or single-room fire including firefighting-water drying and partial rebuild, and $30,000–$100,000 or more when fire reaches structure — framing, roof, multiple rooms. The bill splits into emergency work (board-up $500–$3,000, water extraction and drying $1,000–$5,000), soot and odor cleanup ($2,000–$10,000 whole-house), contents cleaning and pack-out ($2,000–$15,000), and reconstruction, which usually dwarfs the rest. Fire is a covered peril on standard homeowners policies, so for insured homeowners the real cost question is the deductible and whether the scope is complete — insurance-industry data puts the average fire claim in the tens of thousands, several times the average water claim. Call (888) 840-6512 to reach a certified water damage restoration company in your area; the line is answered 24/7.
Press 1 for water damage or 2 for mold, then your 5-digit ZIP. The line goes quiet for about half a minute while it connects — that is normal, stay on.
Written & reviewed by Marcus ReedIICRC WRT
Reviewed August 31, 2026· Next review Feb 2027
Cost by Scenario
| Scenario | Typical range | What's in it |
|---|---|---|
| Smoke/soot only — puff-back, contained oven fire, wildfire smoke | $2,000 – $6,000 | Whole-house cleaning, duct cleaning, odor treatment |
| Small contained fire, one area | $3,000 – $8,000 | Soot cleanup, limited tear-out, drying if water used |
| Kitchen fire — cabinets, appliances, smoke through house | $10,000 – $30,000 | Emergency service, water drying, soot and odor, cabinet/appliance replacement, partial rebuild |
| Single-room fire with firefighting water | $15,000 – $40,000 | Board-up, extraction and drying, room gutted and rebuilt, whole-house smoke cleanup |
| Multi-room or structural fire | $30,000 – $100,000+ | Structural repairs, roof, systems, full contents processing, long rebuild |
Every figure is the restoration side; personal property replacement rides on top through the contents claim.
The Line Items Behind the Number
Emergency stabilisation. Board-up and tarping ($500–$3,000), temporary power, fencing. Same-day work, billed like any emergency restoration call-out.
The water half. Extraction, air movers and dehumidifiers for three to five days, removal of soaked drywall, insulation and flooring — priced like any serious water loss (those ranges here), commonly $1,000–$5,000 on a room fire and more when water travelled to floors below. If drying starts late, mold remediation joins the invoice.
Soot and smoke. Dry-sponge cleaning of every affected surface, degreasing for oily residues, HVAC duct and air-handler cleaning, sealing smoke-stained framing with odor-blocking primer, and odor treatment (thermal fogging, hydroxyl, ozone). Whole-house smoke cleanup typically lands at $2,000–$10,000 depending on residue type and volume.
Contents. On-site cleaning for the easy items; pack-out to a facility for the rest — ultrasonic cleaning, odor chambers, electronics and document restoration — commonly $2,000–$15,000 on a significant fire, plus the replacement list for what could not be saved.
Rebuild. Framing, drywall, electrical, cabinets, paint, flooring. On anything beyond a small fire, reconstruction is the largest single block and deserves competitive bids as a separate contract from the emergency mitigation.
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National brands price from a franchise rate card. A local IICRC-certified crew often scopes the same job differently — you keep whichever quote is better.
(888) 840-6512- Tell them the scope you were quoted
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What Drives the Total
- 1How far the smoke travelled — the burn may be one room; the cleanup is every room the odor reached, including ducts.
- 2Residue type — dry smoke from fast hot fires cleans easiest; oily protein smoke from kitchen fires is the most labor-intensive.
- 3How much water was used, and for how long it sat — the difference between a drying bill and a demolition bill.
- 4Time to stabilisation — soot etches finishes within days; every week of delay converts cleanable surfaces into replaceable ones.
- 5Structural involvement — once framing, roof or systems burned, rebuild economics dominate everything above.
The Insurance Reality
For insured homeowners the out-of-pocket is the deductible; the fight, when there is one, is scope completeness. The recurring gaps on fire estimates: smoke cleanup in "unaffected" rooms, duct cleaning, odor treatment as a separate line, code-upgrade costs on the rebuild (check for ordinance-or-law coverage), depreciation math on contents, and the ALE clock. The claim mechanics — line-item estimates, supplements, recoverable depreciation — work like any large restoration claim; the totals are just bigger, and insurance-industry data consistently shows average fire claims running several times the average water claim.
Paying Out of Pocket
Uninsured or below-deductible events do happen — small contained fires, smoke-only incidents. Get two scopes, ask what can be cleaned versus replaced (the cheap quote often replaces nothing and cleans everything, which reads well and smells bad within a season), and spend first on stabilisation: drying and soot arrest are the two lines where a week's delay multiplies the total. The full restoration sequence shows what a complete job includes, so you can see what a partial quote is leaving out.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much does fire damage restoration cost for a small fire?
A small, contained fire — caught quickly, damage limited to one area plus smoke — typically runs $3,000–$8,000 for cleanup: soot removal, odor treatment, a limited amount of material replacement, and drying if water was used.
The number climbs fast once cabinets, appliances or structural surfaces need replacement rather than cleaning.
How much does smoke damage cleanup cost without fire damage?
Smoke-only events (a furnace puff-back, an oven fire that never spread, wildfire smoke intrusion) commonly cost $2,000–$6,000 for whole-house cleaning — walls, ceilings, HVAC ducts, contents — plus odor treatment.
Heavy protein smoke from kitchen fires sits at the top of the range because the residue is oily and clings to everything.
Why is the water damage part of my fire bill so large?
Because firefighting delivers water at over a hundred gallons a minute, and it all lands inside your house.
Extraction, several days of drying equipment, removal of soaked drywall and insulation, and sometimes mold remediation are standard lines on a fire invoice — often covering more rooms than the burn itself. It is legitimate scope, priced like any major water loss.
Does homeowners insurance cover fire damage restoration?
YesFire is the core covered peril of every standard policy: the dwelling, contents, the firefighting water damage, smoke damage in rooms the fire never reached, and additional living expenses while you are out of the home.
You pay the deductible; the insurer pays covered scope. The disputes on fire claims are about completeness (missed smoke damage, depreciation on contents), not usually about coverage.
Is it cheaper to clean smoke damage myself?
For a light haze in one room, careful DIY with dry chemical sponges can work. Beyond that it usually costs more: wet-wiping smears soot deeper into surfaces, ordinary cleaners set stains, and missed odor comes back with humidity for years.
Soot is also acidic and its residue is a respiratory irritant. Whole-room or whole-house smoke is professional work with specialised chemistry and equipment.
Who do I call right now for water damage?
Call (888) 840-6512. The line is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and connects you with an IICRC-certified water damage restoration company that serves your area. A recorded menu picks up first: choose water damage or mold, key in your 5-digit ZIP code, and hold through the short silence while the call is passed to the company.
Describe what you can see — where the water is coming from, how long it has been there, and whether it smells — the more specific you are, the faster the right company is on the line. If the source is a pipe or an appliance, shut the main water valve first. Have four things ready and the call goes quickly: the address, when the water started, what is wet now, and whether you have filed an insurance claim.
Still not sure which of these is your situation? (888) 840-6512 · toll-free · answered 24/7
Sources
- Insurance Information Institute — Facts + Statistics: Homeowners and renters insurance
- U.S. Fire Administration — After the Fire: Returning to Normal
- IICRC — Standards (ANSI/IICRC S500 Water Damage, S700 Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration)
- NFPA — Home structure fires (research and statistics)
Methodology: How we source and verify data · Report an error
Disclaimer: HearthDry is an independent educational resource. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional, legal, or insurance advice. Consult licensed professionals before making decisions about your property or insurance claims.
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