A massive fire engulfed a church in Copiague on June 3rd. The fire department was on scene Wednesday, and again on Thursday as black smoke overwhelmed the surrounding area. Debris was disbursed, making it unsafe. RENU deployed a 50-man emergency crew and the mitigation began within two hours of being called upon. The restoration team guaranteed damage containment and cleanup would be finished within days.
To ensure everyone’s safety amid the pandemic, RENU’s team was temperature checked before arriving on-site each day. The team had PPE, provided hand sanitizing stations, and followed CDC guidelines for essential workers.
Starting with the exterior, they rid the property and surrounding area of debris, charred wood, and flooding. While fire causes a lot of damage, water brought in from extinguishing a fire adds another level of destruction. There was significant water damage done to the basement demanding an emergency extraction service to remove the water safely. Smoke damage required the ceiling to be removed, cleaned and replaced. Air scrubbers, vapor sharks and hydroxyl fans were brought in to eliminate odor and clean the air. Fortunately, the surrounding buildings did not burn but suffered smoke damage as well. The section of the building where church is held was one of the areas heavily hit. The cathedral ceiling posed a challenge prompting RENU to build scaffolding inside the church and ensured every surface from floor to ceiling was restored to its pre-fire conditions.
While RENU’s emergency team was responding, the congregation seemed to be deprived of their place to worship. In an effort to support the community, RENU donated and constructed a tent providing a place for churchgoers to come together at a distance that would respect the requirements of social distancing. Mass was held safely outside Saturday on the lawn. The restoration crew completed the job and church was moved back inside by Monday.
