For homes left standing after LA County fires, owners facing extensive cleanup costs

Thousands of Southern California residents lost their homes in the Palisades and Eaton fires. But even those fortunate enough to have home to return to are now having to pay thousands of dollars in cleanup and restoration costs.

"It's a very laborious process," said Gennady Grinblat, an executive vice president at ServPro, who said he has more than 400 employees engaged in cleanup efforts in the Palisades fire burn area.

"We can have 10-15 people inside a home, and it'll take 5-7 days to get it fully clean, so it's a lot of work. But it's the only way to do it to get people back safely."

Grinblat said it's not just the foul odor of smoke that needs to be dealt with, but the removal of all the ash and soot that can permeate windows and doors, even if the entire home is sealed.

"It really doesn't matter how well the home is insulated; how good your windows are, or how good the doors are. When you have sustained winds of 60, 70 or 80 mph, that smoke and that ash combustion byproduct is going to get into the house.

"What we have to remember is, that ash while again it may look like it's no big deal, that ash has remnants of everything that's burned in its path. Not just the trees, not just the shrubbery, but all the oils, plastics and rubber."

Grinblat said practically everything inside a home in the fire zone needs to be cleaned.

"That ash and soot is going to get throughout everywhere in the house, that includes all the furniture, couches, the lamps. You have to clean the entire attic, and remove the old insulation that's been impacted because that insulation is impossible to clean."

"It's like trying to get pepper out of cottage cheese; you can't do it so you have to replace the old insulation with new insulation."

Depending on the level to which a home needs to be cleaned, it's a process that can costs tens of thousands of dollars. Experts suggest homeowners engage with their insurance company before hiring a cleaning service, to see how much of the cost will be covered.