Water damage drying
Fire & smoke cleanup
Mold remediation
Storm response
Sewage cleanup
ReconstructionFree visual inspection and a written scope of work before any mitigation begins - photos, moisture readings, and drying logs go in your claim file
The scope we write is the scope we bill. Anything new gets shown to you, in writing, before we touch it.
Get your free estimateTrusted Fire Damage Restoration for Fontana Homeowners
Fire damage restoration in Fontana means dealing with three problems at once: structural charring, corrosive soot, and the water or chemical suppressants used to put the fire out. We address all three under one roof. Dry Line Water Damage is an IICRC-certified operation led by Glen Pacheco, and we’ve been restoring fire-damaged properties throughout Fontana, Bloomington, and Rialto for years. Our crews arrive with Dri-Eaz and Phoenix commercial-grade dehumidifiers, Injectidry structural-drying systems, and the documentation protocols adjusters expect. If you’re standing in a smoke-damaged living room right now, call (833) 589-5317. We can usually have a team at your Fontana property within hours, not days.
Fire Damage Restoration Company
A Fire Damage Restoration Company is a contractor that handles the full post-fire scope: board-up and tarping, structural drying, soot and smoke residue removal, odor neutralization, and repair coordination. You need one when a fire has compromised wiring, drywall, framing, or indoor air quality, and when the property can’t be safely occupied. Dry Line Water Damage operates as a single accountable team across water, mold, and fire disciplines, which means we don’t hand off the water extraction from firefighter hoses to one vendor and the smoke cleanup to another. We carry the full scope ourselves using commercial-grade equipment and IICRC-certified methods. In Fontana, typical Fire Damage Restoration in Fontana costs range from $3,500 for a contained kitchen fire to $35,000 or more for multi-room structural loss, depending on square footage and whether drywall and framing must be replaced.
Board-Up and Site Security
After a fire, open windows, compromised doors, and roof penetrations leave the property exposed to weather, trespassing, and secondary damage. We secure the structure with board-up, tarping, and temporary fencing coordination so the scene stays intact for adjuster review.
Contents Assessment and Pack-Out
Salvageable belongings get documented, cleaned, and stored. Items that can’t be restored are logged for insurance purposes. This level of cataloging matters when you’re filing a contents claim.
Restoration work we handle
Smoke Damage Restoration
Smoke Damage Restoration is the process of removing smoke residue from surfaces, materials, and air spaces after a fire, even when flames never touched those areas. Smoke migrates into wall cavities, ductwork, closets, and behind baseboards through air-pressure differences, and it leaves an acidic film that corrodes metal and yellows painted surfaces within days. In Fontana, where many homes built in the 1950s and 60s have open wall framing and minimal insulation, smoke travel through wall cavities is common. Dry Line Water Damage addresses this with HEPA air scrubbing, dry-ice blasting on masonry, and chemical sponge application on painted surfaces, then we verify the result with air sampling and surface testing. A typical Fontana smoke damage restoration job ranges from $1,800 to $8,000, depending on how far the smoke migrated and whether duct cleaning is required.
Surface Cleaning and Deodorization
Walls, ceilings, trim, and hard surfaces get cleaned with an alkaline degreaser that breaks the acidic soot bond. We don’t just repaint over smoke stains, which is a short-term cosmetic fix that lets odor bleed through later.
Duct and HVAC Treatment
Smoke that entered the HVAC system recirculates every time the blower runs. We inspect supply and return ducts, clean accessible runs, and replace filtration to keep your family from breathing combustion particles.
Fire Damage Repair
Fire Damage Repair is the reconstruction work that restores a Fontana property to its pre-loss condition, and nearby Bloomington Fire Damage Restoration follows the same process: drywall replacement, framing repair, subfloor replacement, electrical repair coordination, and finishing. You need it after the cleanup is done, and it’s the phase where homeowners get oversold or undersold. We bid repair work from the same documentation we used during mitigation, so the scope you approve is the scope that gets done. We don’t create change orders unless hidden damage surfaces, and if it does, we photograph it and share it with your adjuster before proceeding. Repair costs after a fire in Fontana average $8,000 to $40,000, with kitchen fires on the lower end if cabinets survived and whole-room rebuilds on the upper end. This range reflects local labor rates and material costs, which have climbed 30% since 2020.
Structural Framing and Drywall
Charred framing gets sistered or replaced. Smoke-damaged drywall gets cut out and replaced. We don’t patch over weakened structural members, and we don’t leave charred wood in a wall cavity where it keeps off-gassing.
Finishing and Paint
Once new drywall is set and mudded, we prime with a shellac-based sealer that prevents residual smoke staining from bleeding through, then paint. This sealer step is the difference between a repair that lasts and one that shows brown shadows six months later.
Fire Damage Cleanup
Fire Damage Cleanup is the debris removal and surface cleaning that happens in the first days after a fire: hauling charred contents, wet-vacuuming standing water, removing smoke-damaged drywall down to the studs where needed, and packaging contaminated materials for disposal. In Fontana, debris disposal has specific rules. The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District and city waste enforcement expect burn materials to be labeled and hauled through approved channels, and we handle that paperwork. Dry Line Water Damage performs cleanup with HEPA-filtered vacuums and sealed debris containers, not open shop-vacs that recontaminate the air. Fire damage cleanup in Fontana generally runs $1,500 to $6,000, depending on the volume of debris and whether water extraction is also required.
Debris Segregation and Disposal
We separate recyclable metals from charred wood, electronics, and household chemicals that require special handling. This keeps the dumpster route legal and keeps recoverable materials out of the landfill.
Structural Cleaning
Studs, ceiling joists, and subfloors get wire-brushed, HEPA-vacuumed, and assessed for smoke saturation. Cleaning before repair ensures the new work bonds to clean material and doesn’t trap odor behind new drywall.
Smoke Odor Removal
Smoke Odor Removal is the process of eliminating combustion odors from a Fontana property, not masking them. Odor particles from a structure fire are typically 0.1 to 4 microns in size and embed in porous materials like drywall, carpet pad, insulation, and wood grain. You need it whenever you can still smell smoke days after a fire, even in rooms the fire never reached. Dry Line Water Damage uses hydroxyl generator technology, thermal fogging, and ozone treatments where appropriate, and we deploy Injectidry negative-air systems to draw odor out of wall cavities without tearing open every wall. In Fontana, smoke odor removal costs between $800 and $3,500 as a standalone service, or it’s bundled into a full Fire Damage Restoration in Rialto scope when tied to structural cleaning. This is not a Febreze situation. It’s a particle-removal science.
Thermal Fogging
A thermal fogger heats deodorizing compounds into a vapor that behaves like smoke, penetrating the same surfaces and cavities the original smoke entered. This mimicry is what makes the treatment effective in wall voids and behind crown molding.
Hydroxyl Generation
Hydroxyl generators produce safe oxidizing radicals that break down odor molecules in the air and on surfaces. They can run while the property is occupied, which matters when you’re still living in part of the home during restoration.
Fire and Water Damage Restoration
Fire and Water Damage Restoration is the combined service needed after a fire where firefighter water, sprinkler activation, or a burst pipe from fire heat has saturated the structure. Every fire has a water problem. A single firefighter hose running full-bore dumps 125 to 150 gallons per minute, and in Fontana homes with single-story slab foundations, that water pools in low spots and wicks up drywall within hours. Dry Line Water Damage handles both scopes with one crew: extraction, dehumidification, structural drying, then smoke and soot work. We don’t pause between water and fire mitigation or bring in a subcontractor for half the job. Combined fire and water damage restoration in Fontana typically runs $5,000 to $30,000, with the water component costing $1,500 to $5,000 and the fire component scaling from there.
Extraction and Drying Before Fire Work
If you dry a fire-damaged structure wrong, you lock moisture behind fire-degraded drywall and create a mold condition inside the wall cavity. We extract standing water and run Dri-Eaz and Phoenix dehumidifiers until we have documented moisture readings in the acceptable range.
Combined Scope Coordination
One project manager owns the entire scope from water extraction to final paint. Your adjuster talks to one person. You talk to one person. There’s no gap between the water crew and the fire crew because they’re the same people.
Soot Removal
Soot Removal is the chemical and mechanical process of removing the fine black carbon coating that settles on every surface in a fire-damaged Fontana home. Soot is not just unsightly; it’s acidic, with a pH typically between 2.5 and 3.5, and it etches glass, corrodes metal, and embeds in upholstery within 24 hours of exposure. You need it immediately after a fire, and the longer it sits, the harder it is to remove. Dry Line Water Damage uses dry-ice blasting for masonry and wood surfaces, chemical sponges for painted surfaces, and HEPA vacuuming for loose particles before any wet cleaning begins, because wet-cleaning unvacuumed soot smears it into the surface. Soot removal in Fontana typically costs $1,000 to $7,500 depending on the affected square footage and surface types.
Dry-Ice Blasting for Masonry
Brick fireplaces, concrete patios, and block walls respond well to dry-ice blasting because the CO2 pellets sublimate on contact, lifting soot without gouging the surface and without leaving a secondary waste stream like sandblasting does.
Surface-Specific Cleaning Protocols
Painted drywall gets a different cleaning method than varnished wood, which gets a different method than tile and grout. We train our crews on surface-specific protocols because one-size-fits-all soot cleaning destroys finishes and forces more repair work than the fire did.
Brands We Service
We outfit our Fontana and Fire Damage Restoration in Glen Avon projects with Phoenix and Dri-Eaz equipment because these are the brands that large-loss commercial contractors run on insurance jobs. Phoenix low-grain refrigerant dehumidifiers pull 130 pints per day at AHAM-rated conditions, which matters when you’re drying a structure that firefighter water has saturated. Dri-Eaz axial air movers and HEPA scrubbers are the workhorses on our smoke cleanup jobs because their filtration ratings match what adjusters expect to see in the equipment list.
For structural drying after fire suppression, we use Injectidry injection systems to push dry air into wall cavities and under hardwood floors without removing flooring or cutting open walls. This approach reduces demolition scope, shortens the claim, and leaves you with less to rebuild. Whether your Fontana property has any of these systems on-site or none, we can handle the full restoration scope with our own fleet.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterSigns You Need a Pro Right Now
- You can smell smoke days after the fire. Odor particles have settled into porous materials, and they won’t leave on their own. The longer they sit, the deeper they penetrate and the more material will need replacement.
- Drywall feels damp or stains are spreading. Water from firefighter hoses or a ruptured pipe is still migrating through the structure. This creates a mold condition behind walls within 48 to 72 hours.
- White residue is forming on metal surfaces. That’s acidic soot residue corroding hinges, appliances, and electrical contacts. The damage is happening now, not later.
- Paint is bubbling or yellowing in rooms the fire didn’t reach. Smoke traveled through wall cavities and is pushing through the surface. This means the cavity needs to be opened and treated, not just repainted.
- Your HVAC system smells when the blower runs. Smoke has entered the ductwork, and every time the system cycles, it recirculates combustion particles through the house. This won’t improve without duct cleaning or replacement.
Our Process, Step by Step
- 1
Emergency response and stabilization. We arrive at your Fontana property, assess fire and water damage, secure openings, and start water extraction if needed. Any safety hazards are documented with photos and addressed before work proceeds.
- 2
Documentation and insurance coordination. We photograph everything, write a detailed scope of work, and share it with your adjuster. You get the same documentation we do, so you know exactly what we’re proposing before the first wall is opened.
- 3
Debris removal and structural cleaning. Charred material goes out. Soot gets cleaned from every surface using the correct method for that material. Odor treatment begins with hydroxyl generation or thermal fogging once the cleanup is complete.
- 4
Structural drying and verification. If the fire left water in the structure, we run Dri-Eaz and Phoenix dehumidifiers and Injectidry injection drying where needed. We take moisture readings throughout the process and give you documented proof of dry, not a visual guess.
- 5
Repair and final verification. Drywall, framing, flooring, and paint get restored. We run final air sampling where appropriate and walk you through the finished property before we close the file.
How Much Does Fire Damage Restoration Cost in Fontana?
A typical fire damage restoration job in Fontana runs $3,500 to $35,000. A contained kitchen fire with light smoke damage and no structural loss usually falls between $3,500 and $8,000. A larger fire that requires kitchen rebuild, drywall replacement in two or three rooms, and full odor remediation typically lands between $15,000 and $35,000. Smoke odor removal alone runs $800 to $3,500. Soot removal alone runs $1,000 to $7,500. Water extraction from firefighting runs $1,500 to $5,000 when bundled with fire work.
What moves the price: square footage affected, whether the fire reached structural framing, how long the property sat before restoration began, and whether your HVAC system needs duct cleaning or replacement. The fastest way to pay too much is hiring a contractor who doesn’t document the initial scope and then presents change orders mid-project. We write the full scope before we start and only expand it when hidden damage is documented. Your free estimate from Dry Line Water Damage includes a line-item scope, not a single round number with no explanation. Call Glen and the team at (833) 589-5317 for exact pricing on your Fontana property.
Our Service Area Near Fontana
Dry Line Water Damage serves Fontana and the surrounding communities including Fire Damage Restoration in Bloomington, Fire Damage Restoration in Rialto, Sunnyslope, Glen Avon, Muscoy, Rubidoux, Colton, Highgrove, Grand Terrace, Jurupa Valley, and San Bernardino. Most Fontana residents see a crew on-site within 2 to 4 hours of calling (833) 589-5317, depending on traffic on the 10 and 210 corridors. If you’re checking our home page for service details, you’ll find the same technical documentation and equipment standards across every service area we cover.
Serving Fontana, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Fontana area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage — if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
Frequently Asked Questions About Fire Damage Restoration in Fontana
Fire damage restoration is the complete process of returning a fire-damaged Fontana property to its pre-loss condition, including debris removal, soot cleaning, odor neutralization, structural drying, and repair. It’s not a single service but a sequence that starts with emergency stabilization and ends with paint and final verification. Dry Line Water Damage handles every phase with one crew and documents each step for your adjuster.
A contained kitchen fire typically takes 2 to 4 weeks from cleanup to final paint, assuming no structural rebuild is required. A whole-home fire can take 3 to 6 months, depending on framing replacement, material lead times, and adjuster approval cycles. The fastest way to shorten the timeline is starting mitigation within the first 48 hours, which is why our Fontana response is same-day when you call (833) 589-5317.
In Fontana, fire damage restoration ranges from $3,500 for a minor kitchen fire to $35,000 or more for extensive structural loss. The final number depends on square footage, structural damage, smoke travel, and whether water extraction is needed. We provide a written line-item scope before work starts, and our estimates are free.
We run Phoenix and Dri-Eaz equipment on our restoration jobs because they’re the same commercial-grade systems used on large-loss commercial claims. We also use Injectidry systems for structural drying without unnecessary demolition. Our crews are trained on these specific brands, and we maintain our own fleet rather than renting consumer-grade machines.
Yes. We maintain emergency availability for Fontana properties and can typically get a crew on-site within hours of your call, not days. Fire damage worsens quickly, and every hour that passes means deeper smoke penetration and wider corrosion from soot. Call (833) 589-5317 and we’ll start the assessment.
We stand behind our restoration work with a workmanship warranty on the repairs we complete. The warranty terms are provided in your written scope of work before we start. If you have questions about what’s covered, Glen Pacheco can walk you through it directly.
First, don’t enter the property if the fire department or utility company has restricted access. Once the structure is cleared for entry, avoid touching surfaces, running your HVAC system, or attempting to clean soot yourself, because smearing soot into surfaces increases restoration cost. Gather your insurance policy documents, take photos if you can safely do so, and call (833) 589-5317. We handle the rest from first assessment to final paint.
Schedule Your Fire Damage Restoration Service in Fontana Today
Don’t wait through another cycle of smoke in your HVAC or another day of soot eating into your fixtures. Call Dry Line Water Damage at (833) 589-5317 for a free, no-obligation estimate on fire damage restoration in Fontana. One crew, full scope, IICRC-certified process, documented dry, and a written scope before work starts. Glen Pacheco and the team are ready.
Written by Glen Pacheco, Owner at Dry Line Water Damage, serving Fontana and surrounding communities.