What a Drone Flyover Shows After a Fire

WatchPost Fire Damage Flyover Project

I'll admit it: our crew likes flying the drone. There's something about getting a bird's-eye view of a job that makes even a long day on site a little more fun. But on a fire loss, the drone isn't a toy. It's one of the best tools we have for seeing what's really going on.

Watch our "Post Fire Damage Flyover Project" video above, then come back and I'll walk you through what we look for.

Why Fly a Drone Over a Fire-Damaged Home?

Because nobody should be walking on that roof. After a fire, roof decking and framing can be burned, weakened or soaked. You can't tell by looking from the driveway whether it'll hold a person. A drone lets us see the whole roof without putting anyone on top of it.

It also shows things you just can't see from the ground:

• Where the fire burned through the roof
• How far heat and smoke damage spread across the roof surface
• Damage to neighboring roofs, fences and outbuildings
• Debris in gutters and valleys
• Whether openings have been properly tarped and secured

What Does the Fire Look Like From Above?

It's honestly a different story than what you see from the street. From the front yard, you might see a few broken windows and some black streaks. From above, you might see a burned-through section in the back, scorched shingles running along a ridge, and a hole where firefighters ventilated the roof.

Fire tends to follow the attic. From the air, you can often trace the path it took, which helps us understand what's going on inside before we ever go in.

How Does This Help the Homeowner?

A few ways:

1. Clearer documentation. Aerial photos and video become part of our documentation, alongside the room-by-room inspection and the Xactimate scope.
2. Faster understanding. It's a lot easier to explain a damaged roof when you can show someone the picture.
3. Safer inspections. Our team doesn't have to take unnecessary risks to get the information.
4. Better planning. We can plan tarping, demo and rebuild with the whole roof in view.

Homeowners usually appreciate seeing it too. Most people have never seen their own roof from above, and it helps them understand why some projects require more than a new roof. Read more in this guide.

Do You Fly Drones on Every Job?

Not every one. Plenty of fires are contained to a kitchen or a garage and never touch the roof. We use the drone when it actually helps: larger losses, roof damage, commercial buildings, churches and properties with a lot of ground to cover. It's also handy after storms for checking hail and wind damage, which is a big part of our roofing work.

Is There Anything a Drone Can't Show?

Plenty. A drone shows the outside. It can't tell you whether the trusses are charred, how much smoke is in the insulation or whether the subfloor is soaked. That takes boots on the ground once mitigation has made the house safe. The drone is the start of the inspection, not the whole thing.

What's the Fun Part?

Watching the before and after. On a big rebuild, we'll often fly the same property again once the new roof is on. Seeing a burned-through roof in one shot and a clean, finished roof system in the next never gets old. It's one of the reasons we film so much of our work. We'd rather show you than tell you.

What Happens After the Flyover?

CMDR Restoration (TDLR RCO #1801), our mitigation partner, secures and tarps the property, removes water from firefighting and handles soot and odor. G3 Construction inspects the structure from inside, writes the repair scope in Xactimate and rebuilds the roof system, the structure and the interior.

Frequently Asked Questions

See more on our fire restoration page and videos page. Then call (945) 300-9018 or use the button below to get help with fire damage.

Keep learning: see our Fire & Smoke page, read Rebuilding After a House Fire | G3 Construction, or read what homeowners say in our customer reviews.