Houston:
713-380-2282
The fire is the first event. The damage is the second one, and the second event runs on a clock most facility operators do not realize is ticking.
In the first 24 to 48 hours after a commercial fire, soot turns acidic. The combustion residue on metal, glass, finished surfaces, and electronics begins etching and corroding within two days. Surfaces that could have been cleaned and recovered get pitted and require replacement. By hour 72, the water that fire suppression dumped into the building is driving secondary damage. Wet drywall, wet insulation, and wet carpet move from salvageable to mold within 72 to 96 hours. The fire itself stops when the flames are out. The damage cascade keeps running until someone steps in and stops it.
Star Building Services has run commercial fire damage cleanup and restoration programs across Texas since September 2008. We scope both cleanup-only work alongside restoration general contractors and full restoration end-to-end depending on the loss. Our 24/7 dispatch line is answered locally, our crews mobilize against the actual damage cascade, and our documentation is built for the insurance claims file from the first walkthrough forward.
18
Years in Business
2.5M+
Sq Ft Cleaned Daily
Trusted Across Texas Businesses
Certified, recognized, proven cleaning excellence
Fire Damage Is Three Problems, Not One
A commercial fire produces three distinct damage events. Each runs on its own timeline. Each requires different work to stop.
Surface-specific PSI ranges we operate to:
- The fire itself: Structural damage, charred materials, and the visible destruction. This is the event the news camera covers. It is also usually the smallest piece of the total loss when measured in dollars.
- Acidic soot at hours 24 to 48: Combustion residue absorbs moisture from the air and turns acidic. Metals corrode and pit. Glass, marble, and polished stone etch. Electronics fail at the circuit board level. Painted surfaces blister and stain permanently. The first 48 hours separate "we cleaned it" from "we have to replace it."
- Water and humidity at hours 48 to 96: Fire suppression often dumps thousands of gallons into the building. Wet drywall, wet insulation, wet carpet, and wet substructure begin growing mold within 72 to 96 hours under typical commercial conditions. Mold remediation costs run several multiples of the original water mitigation that would have prevented it.
The buildings that recover well are the ones where someone steps in early enough to stop the cascade. The buildings that recover badly are the ones that wait for the insurance adjuster to schedule a visit before mitigation starts.
Cleanup-Only or Full Restoration: Which Scope Fits Your Loss
Not every commercial fire needs the same scope of recovery. We size the work to the loss, not to a single line item.
- Cleanup-only scope: SBS handles emergency stabilization, soot and smoke cleanup, water mitigation, odor mitigation, and surface cleaning. The restoration general contractor or your insurance adjuster's preferred contractor handles structural rebuild, drywall replacement, paint, and finish work. We coordinate with the GC on access, sequencing, and the documentation package the insurance carrier requires.
- Full restoration scope: SBS handles the complete sequence from emergency stabilization through cleanup, drying, odor remediation, and reconstruction. One vendor, one accountable owner, one documentation chain. This scope works best on smaller and mid-sized losses where vendor coordination overhead exceeds the value of specialist subcontractors.
The walkthrough determines which scope fits. We tell you which one we recommend during the initial assessment, not after a contract is signed.
What Our Fire Damage Cleanup and Restoration Programs Cover
Programs adjust to facility type, loss severity, and whether scope is cleanup-only or full restoration. The shared baseline includes the following.
Working with Your Insurance Carrier and Restoration GC
Fire damage is an insurance event. The documentation we generate during cleanup is what determines what the carrier covers and what gets disputed. Our standard package includes pre-mitigation photos, scope-of-work documentation, daily activity logs, equipment-on-site readings, moisture readings, and post-mitigation photos delivered to the property owner and the adjuster.
When a restoration GC is already engaged, we coordinate with their schedule, their site safety plan, and their documentation requirements. When SBS is the only vendor, we coordinate directly with the adjuster. Either way, the goal is the same: the claims file is complete, the work is auditable, and the disputed line items are minimized.
When Cheap Fire Damage Cleanup Costs You More
The shortcuts in commercial fire restoration are predictable.
Some vendors apply the wrong soot chemistry. The residue smears rather than lifts, gets driven deeper into porous surfaces, and the customer pays again to redo the cleaning.
Some skip HVAC decontamination because the customer cannot see it from the lobby. Smoke odor returns 30 to 60 days later as the system cycles air through residual deposits. The customer assumes the original cleaning failed and is forced to start over.
Some miss water moisture in wall cavities and substructure. Mold blooms 60 to 120 days after the fire when the carrier’s claim window is closing. The remediation cost lands on the property owner.
Some send untrained crews onto a scene with structural concerns. OSHA compliance, asbestos awareness on older buildings, and respiratory protection on smoke-saturated environments are not optional. We deploy crews with site-specific safety plans and documented training.
Star’s response is structural. 24/7 dispatch answered locally. Trained crews on the work. Soot chemistry matched to the source. HVAC decontamination as standard scope. Moisture monitoring against documented readings. Insurance documentation built for the claims file from day one.
Recent Texas Fire Damage Engagements
Restaurant or commercial kitchen fire, cleanup + reopen
Case Study 1
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- Date: 07-05-2026
Problem:
kitchen fire, protein soot, water from suppression
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Outcome:
Monthly program established, health inspection clean
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Office or multi-tenant commercial fire, full restoration
Case Study 2
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- Date: 07-05-2026
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Industrial or warehouse fire, cleanup-only with restoration GC
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- Date: 07-05-2026
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Industries and Facilities We Service
Star’s Texas fire damage portfolio covers commercial properties where rapid stabilization, structured documentation, and accountable scope all matter:
- Restaurants and food service Kitchen fires, grease-driven losses, protein soot.
- Multi-tenant office and Class A towers Suite-level losses with adjacent-tenant impact, lobby and common-area smoke distribution.
- Retail centers and chain locations Storefront losses, post-fire reopen pressure tied to lease and inventory recovery.
- Hospitality and event venues Guest-room and ballroom losses with occupancy and reservation cycle pressure.
- Healthcare administrative facilities Records-area fires, smoke distribution into clinical-adjacent space.
- Industrial and manufacturing Process-related fires, OSHA Process Safety Management overlap, business interruption pressure.
- Education campuses Dormitory, classroom, and athletic facility losses scheduled around academic calendars.
- Religious facilities, government, and municipal buildings.
How Quality Stays Consistent
Trained crews on the work, soot chemistry matched to the loss, moisture monitoring against documented readings, HVAC decontamination as standard scope, structured insurance documentation. For the broader three-layer quality control mechanism that runs across our entire commercial portfolio, see our commercial janitorial cleaning services page.
Related Commercial Cleaning Services
Fire damage recovery often pairs with adjacent specialty services depending on scope. Post construction cleaning is the natural pairing when reconstruction lands inside SBS scope, and electrostatic disinfection often runs after soot cleanup in healthcare and food service facilities to address residual surface contamination.
Core service pages include:
Commercial Janitorial Cleaning Services
Comprehensive daily or nightly cleaning programs tailored to maintain consistent standards across your facility.
Commercial Office Cleaning Services
Professional cleaning solutions designed to support productive, healthy office environments.
Restaurant Cleaning Services
Detailed cleaning programs for front-of-house and back-of-house operations in high-traffic dining spaces.
Commercial Hood Cleaning Services
Code-compliant hood and exhaust system cleaning to improve safety and fire prevention.
Church Cleaning Services
Respectful and thorough cleaning for worship spaces, fellowship halls, and community facilities.
Electrostatic Disinfection Services
Advanced disinfection methods that ensure even coverage across high-touch surfaces.
Centralizing fire recovery with broader cleaning under one provider keeps the documentation, insurance coordination, and access protocols consistent through reopen and into the recurring cleaning program that follows.
What Our Clients Say
Trusted by Dallas Property Managers, Facilities Directors, and HOA Boards
Service Coverage Across Texas
Houston Hub
1717 Gessner Rd., Houston, TX 77080:
- Harris County
- Katy
- Greenway Plaza
- Galleria
- Energy Corridor
- Downtown
- Port of Houston
- Sugar Land
- Clear Lake / NASA
- Woodlands
- Texas Medical Center
- River Oaks
Dallas Hub
11410 Mathis Ave Unit C4,
Farmers Branch, TX 75234:
- Dallas County
- Plano
- Uptown
- Frisco
- Downtown
- Addison
- Arts District
- Irving
- Knox-Henderson
- Las Colinas
- Highland Park
Coverage is expanding into San Antonio and Austin as portfolio capacity allows.
Service Coverage Across Texas
We provide commercial cleaning services across Texas, with primary hubs in Houston and Dallas and coverage throughout surrounding metropolitan regions.
- Houston
- Dallas
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly can cleanup begin after a fire?
Our 24/7 emergency dispatch line is answered locally. We mobilize for assessment and emergency stabilization (board-up, tarping, content protection) ahead of full cleanup so the building is closed to additional damage as fast as access conditions allow. Full cleanup begins after the fire department has released the site and any required structural assessment is complete. The first 24 to 48 hours matter for soot, and the first 72 hours matter for water and mold. We coordinate timing with property owners, adjusters, and any restoration GC already engaged.
Do you handle the full restoration or just the cleanup?
Both, depending on the scope of the loss. On smaller and mid-sized losses, SBS handles cleanup through reconstruction as a single vendor. On larger losses or losses with specialist requirements, we handle cleanup, drying, and odor mitigation while a restoration general contractor handles structural rebuild. The walkthrough determines which scope fits your loss. We tell you which one we recommend during the initial assessment, not after a contract is signed.
How do you coordinate with my insurance company?
Our standard documentation package includes pre-mitigation photos, scope-of-work documentation, daily activity logs, equipment readings, moisture readings, and post-mitigation photos. The package is built for the claims file from the first walkthrough forward. We work alongside your adjuster, your public adjuster if you have one, and your restoration GC if one is engaged. Coordination, documentation, and accountability are designed to minimize disputed line items.
Do you handle water damage from fire suppression?
Yes. Fire suppression water is extracted, the building is dried with air movers and dehumidifiers, and substrate moisture content is monitored until readings return to safe range. Water mitigation runs concurrent with soot cleanup so mold does not bloom in wall cavities and substructure during the cleaning phase.
Can you work with our restoration contractor or GC?
Yes. When a restoration GC is already engaged or when your insurance carrier has a preferred contractor relationship, we scope cleanup-only work that hands off cleanly to the GC’s reconstruction phase. We coordinate on access, site safety, sequencing, and documentation requirements so the project does not stall at the cleanup-to-rebuild transition.
Get a Free Estimate for Fire Damage Cleanup & Restoration
If your facility has experienced fire damage and needs commercial cleanup or restoration backed by 24/7 dispatch, structured documentation, and crews that know the difference between protein soot and synthetic soot, call our emergency line. We respond, assess, and quote against documented scope.
