Clean Environmental Solutions / Fire Test Pro/ Mold Test Pro

Fire contained to one unit. Five people hospitalized.

Last Thursday in downtown Riverside, a second-floor apartment went up at 2:15 a.m. Residents jumped from windows. Witnesses say an e-scooter battery exploded. The cause is still under investigation.

Small footprint. Big exposure.

A failed lithium-ion cell doesn't just leave soot. It leaves cobalt, nickel, manganese, lithium and fluoride compounds.

A standard CBP tape-lift won't find any of them. Even a CAM-17 metals panel skips lithium and manganese.

If the scope is built on CBP alone, that residue doesn't get cleaned. Or paid for.

We put the fix on one page: the Lithium-Ion Fire Residue Checklist. Free for public adjusters and attorneys.

Comment "BATTERY" and I'll send it.

Lightning damage doesn't stop at the scorch mark. ⚡

A strike can cook wiring inside closed walls and push smoke residue into rooms that look fine. If it's not documented, it's not paid.

Our one-page checklist shows PAs exactly where to look.

Comment CHECKLIST and we'll DM it to you

Lightning claim on your desk? Residue travels farther than the damage you can see, and the window to document it closes once cleaning starts.

We put the fundamentals in one checklist. Comment CHECKLIST and it’s in your inbox within the hour.

AB 1795 & AB 1642 — California’s new smoke damage standards.

What public adjusters need to know before these bills take effect.
Wednesday, September 23 · 3:00 p.m. Pacific

Email [email protected] for webinar info.

A carrier doesn't have to prove it wasn't lightning.

You have to prove it was.

That's the whole game on these claims — and it's why walkthrough-and-photos loses files that should've been easy wins.

The Post-Fire Damage Documentation Checklist covers exactly this. Comment CHECKLIST 👇

Lightning claims get denied outright. Not delayed — denied. Here's why 👇

No on-site testing linking strike to damage.
Pre-existing electrical issue gets blamed, nothing on file to counter it.
"Storm was nearby" ≠ proof it caused the fire.

One visit is usually all you get before the evidence is gone.

Lightning claim where cause is being questioned? Comment CHECKLIST 👇

Here's exactly what we document on a fire/smoke damage assessment, in order — no guesswork.

→ Site walkthrough — mapping every area showing visible fire, heat, or smoke damage

→ Sample point selection — damaged areas plus unaffected control areas

→ Combustion byproduct sampling — tape-lift and air sampling, same protocol every time

→ Lab-verified results — instrumented, AIHA-accredited data, not a field description

A report built this way answers the carrier's real question — is this damage verified, or is someone's opinion — before they have to ask it.

Have a claim where this process would help? Comment below or send us the details.

Today we pause.

September 11, 2001. Twenty-five years later, the names are still read. The beams still rise. The families, the first responders, and everyone who ran toward the fire are still owed that silence.

FireTestPro works in the aftermath of fire every day. That is not the same as that morning — and we do not pretend it is. It is why we stop on this date.

We remember the 2,977 lives taken in New York, at the Pentagon, and in a field near Shanksville. We remember those lost in the years after to 9/11-related illness. We remember the firefighters, police officers, EMTs, and civilians who went in.

Honor them. Remember them. Never forget.

Lightning-related fire damage doesn't get assessed on a guess.

We test the property using a documented, repeatable process — same protocol, every sample, every time.

The claims that hold up under scrutiny aren't the ones where damage gets described in general terms. They're backed by sample collection, chain of custody, lab analysis, and a report that stands up when the file gets reviewed months later.

What's the hardest part of getting damage extent taken seriously on a claim like this? Tell us what you're running into.

The entry point rarely tells the whole story. This is what tracing the actual path from strike to ignition looks like on-site.

Seen a lightning claim where the damage didn't match the entry point? Tell us in the comments.