Jarvis responds to retail store fire in Southfield Michigan

Friday, November 27th will be the busiest shopping day of the year for retailers as they celebrate a tradition known as “Black Friday“, officially kicking off the start of the holiday shopping season. Retail stores rely heavily on sales generated during the holiday season to stay in business and there would be no worse time to have to close your doors to the public due to an unexpected emergency. Unfortunately, this scenario almost became a reality for a Michigan based retail store this week.

Jarvis property restoration was called into action on Tuesday afternoon as a local department store experienced an unexpected fire. The store manager was very concerned about the potential interruption to business, just prior to the busiest shopping day of the year and solutions to help minimize the impact on their customers. Our emergency response team was on the scene within one hour and immediately went into action developing and implementing a strategy to help repair the fire damage and residual water damage caused by the unexpected event.

Our first objective, in responding to an emergency call, is to inspect the properties structure and identify and potential danger areas. The retail store fire created mostly cosmetic damage and significant water damage to the immediate surrounding area from the overhead sprinkler systems. We immediately began to extract the excess water and address areas damaged by the fire, cleaning up smoke and soot on walls and ceilings. We helped the store remove damaged inventory and furniture, while creating a priority list of areas that would need to be repaired. Our team then put in place a plan to dry out the damaged areas utilizing specialty fans and desiccant humidifiers, in time for the store to be open without interruption for this weeks shopping marathon. Emergencies are never planned, but with proper reaction we can work together to help minimize damage and business interruption.

Photos of our team in action