Downtown Arlington Fire Damage Restorationfor the city's oldest neighborhoods

Arlington began as a railroad town in the 1870s, and its original downtown grew up around the tracks and what is now Division Street and Abram Street. The residential streets around it filled in over the following decades, and many of the homes standing today date from the 1930s through the 1960s. In recent years downtown has seen new apartments, restaurants and public spaces, alongside long-standing neighborhoods.

Housing near downtown is more varied than in the city's later suburbs. There are small wood-sided bungalows, brick cottages, post-war ranch houses, duplexes and fourplexes, and newer apartment buildings. Many of the older homes sit on pier-and-beam foundations with a crawlspace under the floor rather than on a slab. A large share of homes are rentals, including student housing near the university.

For fire restoration, that means more variety behind the walls, older materials that may need testing, crawlspaces that collect smoke and water, and frequent coordination between owners and tenants.

In a pier-and-beam house, the floor sits on beams supported by piers, leaving an open space of a foot or more between the floor and the ground. During a fire, water pours through the floor wherever it can: around plumbing, through floor registers, between floorboards and through burned areas. It collects on the ground beneath the house and soaks any insulation fastened under the subfloor.

Smoke also finds its way below. Floor registers, gaps around pipes and openings in the subfloor let smoke into the crawlspace, where it leaves residue on joists, the underside of the subfloor and any ductwork running beneath the house.

Restoration in these homes includes the crawlspace: removing wet insulation, drying the space with dehumidifiers and air movers, cleaning or sealing smoky framing and checking ducts below the floor. Crawlspace work is cramped and can involve old debris, so it is a job for a crew with the right protection rather than a homeowner.

Homes built before 1978 may contain lead-based paint, especially on exterior wood siding, trim, windows and doors. Fire, water and repairs can disturb it. Under the EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, contractors working on pre-1978 homes must follow lead-safe practices when disturbing painted surfaces above set limits. ^[2]

Older homes may also contain asbestos in materials such as some ceiling textures, floor tiles and their adhesives, pipe insulation and siding. The EPA advises that these materials are generally not a hazard undisturbed but should be tested before they are cut, sanded or removed. Ask the contractor how they handle testing and whether they are lead-safe certified.

Securing a downtown home means boarding windows in wood siding or brick and covering roof openings. Older roofs may have several layers of shingles, and crews check that decking is sound before fastening tarps.

Drying extends to the crawlspace. Cleaning covers plaster or sheetrock, wood trim and floors, with lead-safe practices where old paint is disturbed. Odor work may include the crawlspace and ducts beneath the floor. Repairs need City of Arlington permits for regulated work, and areas being rebuilt may need to meet current codes for wiring and smoke alarms. ^[5]

Older homes often have less insulation, and a house without power after a summer fire gets very hot quickly, driving smoke odor out of materials and making it hard to stay. Spring storms can push rain through fire-damaged roofs and into crawlspaces, adding to the water already under the house.

Mature trees on older streets shade homes but can drop limbs on fire-weakened roofs during storms. Ask whether limbs over a roof opening should be trimmed before tarping.

Small kitchens in older homes mean a stovetop fire's smoke reaches the whole house quickly. Older homes are also more likely to use space heaters in winter, a common cause of house fires when heaters are placed too close to bedding, curtains or furniture.

After a space heater fire, the heater, outlet and circuit should be checked, and the room cleaned for soot and odor. Bedrooms with burned bedding usually need contents removed and replaced.

Many older homes near downtown have painted wood siding, wood soffits and wood window trim. Unlike brick, wood siding can char and burn on the outside of the house if flames break through a window or the roof. Heat can blister paint some distance from the fire, and smoke streaks stain siding above windows and doors.

Charred siding is removed and replaced with matching profiles where possible. Smoke-stained but sound siding can often be cleaned and repainted, with lead-safe methods where old paint is present. Soffit and fascia damaged near a roof opening are usually replaced along with the roof repair. Because older siding profiles may no longer be stocked, contractors sometimes salvage boards from less visible walls to patch the front.

Some of the oldest homes near downtown still have plaster walls on wood lath, while others were updated with sheetrock decades ago. Plaster is harder and more fire-resistant than sheetrock, and it often survives a fire well, but it is porous and holds smoke residue. Water from firefighting can loosen plaster from its lath, especially on ceilings.

Sound plaster can usually be cleaned, sealed with a stain-blocking primer and repainted. Cracks can be repaired by a skilled plasterer. Loose or sagging plaster ceilings are a hazard and need to be secured or removed. Original wood floors, trim and doors in older homes are often worth cleaning and refinishing rather than replacing.

Older lots near downtown often have detached garages or sheds at the back, sometimes reached from an alley. These outbuildings frequently hold lawn equipment, fuel, paint and tools, and they can burn intensely. A fire in an outbuilding can send smoke into the house through open windows and attic vents, and radiant heat can damage the back of the house.

After an outbuilding fire, check the house for smoke and heat damage, and treat the outbuilding's contents with care. Fuel cans, propane and chemicals should be handled by professionals. Debris removal from alley-access lots may need planning for dumpster placement.

Lots near downtown are often narrow, and houses sit close together. A fire in one house can crack windows, scorch siding and send smoke into the house next door. Wood siding on a neighboring house is more vulnerable to radiant heat than brick. If a house near yours burns, check the facing wall, windows and attic, replace the HVAC filter and photograph any damage for your insurer.

Alongside older houses, downtown Arlington now has newer apartment buildings and townhomes. These are built to modern codes with fire sprinklers in many cases, which limits fire spread and water use. Even so, a fire in one unit can send smoke through corridors and shared ventilation, and sprinkler water can reach units below.

Residents of these buildings usually deal first with building management, whose insurer covers the structure and common areas. Renters insurance covers tenants' belongings and temporary housing in many cases. If you own a townhome, check what your HOA's master policy covers and what your own policy must cover.

Older homes near downtown are more likely to rely on wall heaters, older gas furnaces or space heaters in winter. Heating equipment is a leading cause of home fires nationally, often when something that can burn is too close to the heat. After a heating-related fire, the appliance, its gas line or circuit, and any flue should be inspected before use.

If soot appears around a gas heater without a fire, stop using it: soot is a sign of incomplete combustion, which can also produce carbon monoxide. Make sure carbon monoxide alarms are working in any home with gas appliances.

Older homes can raise questions during a claim: original materials that are no longer made, code upgrades required when parts are rebuilt, and crawlspace or foundation issues that were present before the fire. Photograph everything before cleanup, including the crawlspace if the contractor can safely capture it, and keep notes on what was original and what had been updated.

Ask your adjuster how your policy handles matching older materials and required code upgrades. Many policies include some ordinance or law coverage, but limits differ.