Healthcare Facility Restored Following Fire, Smoke and Water Damages

On Sunday, December 27, 2020, a fire occurred in the OB/GYN office at the Ascension Medxcel facility in Tawas City, MI. The alleged cause of the fire, according to the Tawas City Fire Department, was from a malfunctioning personal cooling fan located under an office desk. Although the fire was contained to the one room on the ground floor, the ICU and the surrounding second floor offices also incurred water and smoke damage.

RESOLUTION

The DKI Team was dispatched to perform water remediation and structural cleaning services. Immediately, the DKI Team began an assessment of the damages. During the preliminary inspection, smoke damage was found in the ceiling grids above all affected areas, including the administration, IT and volunteer offices on the second floor. The DKI Team packed up and secured all contents within the affected areas with plastic covering, and set containment to eliminate any harmful debris or other agents from spreading from the restoration zones to other non-affected areas within the facility.

The DKI Team removed the ceiling tiles where they found smoke and water damage and extracted the water in all areas impacted by the fire suppression line. Flood cuts were performed to remove wet insulation. A thorough ceiling to floor cleaning was completed for all affected surface areas, including the stairwell and hallways. Dehumidifiers and air scrubbers were set up and monitored.

The DKI Team completed the project on February 8, 2021. Due to the nature and location of the damages, they ran several tests for monitoring the air quality. The air quality testing is an industry standard which ensures the affected areas are cleaned and properly disinfected, eliminating any residual smoke or soot that may impact the facility’s patient care.