Can You be Allergic to Fire? What You Should Watch Out For

If you have been the victim of a house fire, something to keep watch for in the aftermath of the fire is allergies.

Unfortunately, two of the most difficult things to get rid of following a house fire – smoke and mold – are also two of the leading causes of allergies.

Can You be Allergic to Fire?

Not exactly — you can’t be allergic to fire itself, but you can have allergic-like reactions to things caused by fire.

For example:

• Smoke can trigger asthma or allergic reactions.
• Burning certain materials (like certain woods, plastics, or chemicals) can release particles or gases that people are sensitive or allergic to.
• Some people are sensitive to heat or develop hives from temperature changes (called cholinergic urticaria), but that’s rare.

So while fire itself isn’t an allergen, what comes with it (smoke, heat, particles) definitely can trigger reactions in sensitive people.

Allergy Symptoms to Watch Out For

Smoke exposure can cause a variety of allergic reactions, often affecting multiple areas of the body. Common nose-related symptoms include itching, sneezing, and congestion, while eye symptoms might involve redness, itching, swelling, and excessive watering. The throat can also be irritated, leading to post-nasal drip, itching, hoarseness, or the constant need to clear the throat.

Some people may experience skin reactions like an itchy rash or hives, and even the ears can be affected with itching, plugging, or a popping sensation. More serious reactions can occur in the lungs, especially for those with asthma or respiratory sensitivities. These can include coughing, wheezing, tightness in the chest, frequent bronchitis, or shortness of breath.

Can Smoke Cause Allergies

Smoke is filled with toxic chemicals and fine particles that can irritate your lungs, eyes, skin, and even cause allergic reactions or worsen existing health conditions like asthma. When a house fire occurs, smoke doesn’t just stay in the area where the fire burned — it can spread throughout the entire home, traveling through air vents, tiny cracks, and porous materials like drywall, carpeting, furniture, and curtains.

One of the biggest problems following a house fire is hidden smoke damage. Even if the walls look clean, smoke particles can linger behind them or settle deep into the HVAC system, making it difficult to detect without professional help. Breathing in these particles long-term can trigger allergy symptoms such as sneezing, coughing, watery eyes, skin irritation, or even respiratory issues like asthma attacks. In severe cases, long-term exposure to smoke residue may lead to chronic respiratory conditions or other serious health risks.

That’s why it’s absolutely essential to hire experienced fire restoration professionals who specialize in smoke removal. They use specialized equipment like air scrubbers, ozone machines, and thermal fogging to remove smoke particles from the air and surfaces. They can also clean and sanitize ductwork, seal off contaminated areas, and properly treat porous materials to prevent future health problems.

Remember, smoke damage can often exist in places far away from where the fire actually happened. It’s not just about cleaning visible soot — it’s about making sure every area of your home is safe to breathe in, whether you plan to live there again or sell a fire-damaged house.

Fire Damaged Houses Have A Heightened Risk of Mold

Mold is another issue that must be addressed following a house fire. It is a common result when water is used to put out a fire.

Mold can also be located in areas that make it hard to spot. This leads to residents unknowingly breathing in the spores, which can lead to allergies and other serious health issues.

The truth is, even without a fire, mold is one of the leading causes of allergies in homes. Even molds which are not otherwise toxic can cause serious problems for those who are susceptible.

According to a recent study, even if your home looks clean, chances are very good you’ve got mold, often at levels high enough to trigger allergy and asthma attacks.

Researcher Kelly A. Reynolds recently surveyed 160 homes in seven U.S. cities and discovered that 100 percent of the homes tested positive for mold!

That’s right, 100 percent. If you have suffered a substantial house fire, your chances of having mold are sky high.

Some More Things to Know About Mold:

When molds grow, it’s usually in damp places, behind walls and under floors, above ceiling tiles or behind shower walls – wherever there are wet cellulose materials they can feed on, such as wood, ceiling tiles, plasterboard, or accumulations of organic material inside air-conditioning and heating systems.

Molds have the potential to cause a variety of health problems.

Molds produce allergens (substances that can cause allergic reactions), irritants, and in some cases, potentially toxic substances (mycotoxins).

Inhaling or touching mold or mold spores may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. Allergic responses include hay fever-type symptoms, such as sneezing, runny nose, red eyes, and skin rash (dermatitis).

Allergic reactions to mold are common. They can be immediate or delayed.  Molds can also cause asthma attacks in people with asthma who are allergic to mold.

In addition, mold exposure can irritate the eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs of both mold-allergic and non-allergic people.

Often families exposed to mold can go for months, even years, without knowing where their symptoms are coming from.

What can I do to prevent allergies following a house fire?

1. Hire professionals to locate and eliminate smoke and mold damage.
   It is simply too serious to leave to yourself and what your untrained eyes can see. Like we said, there can be damage behind walls or under cabinets. You need professionals to find it and get rid of it.
2. It is also important to clean your home (including floors and walls, but especially carpets and upholstered furniture) thoroughly. Smoke and mold spores can travel throughout a home, so you need to be thorough in your cleaning efforts as well as consistent. Cleaning your home consistently will enable you to spot new outbreaks and to ensure old ones are removed and stay removed (instead of growing back).
3. Consider getting an air purifier. Today’s high tech air purifiers can greatly improve indoor air quality and can help relieve and even eliminate your allergy symptoms! Here’s how they work:The purifiers produce negative/positive ions and ozone and blow them into the breathing space effectively eliminating indoor allergens, including smoke and mold.In addition to helping get rid of existing damage, the units also kill odors from cigarettes and tobacco, pets, gases and more through a process of oxidation or sanitization, so that odors do not have a chance to be absorbed and later re-emitted by objects in the fire-damaged house.Be sure to look for a unit – especially if you suffer from severe allergies or asthma – that comes with a HEPA filter. HEPA air filters, which were developed by the Atomic Energy Commission during World War II to remove radioactive dust from their plants, are the most efficient type of air filter available. They are 99.97% effective at removing particles as small as 0.3 microns.

Sell Your Fire Damaged House

Another option to avoid the allergies that may come after a house fire is to sell your fire-damaged house to us. At We Buy Fire Damaged Houses, we buy burned houses “as is” and we pay all cash.

That means you don’t have to worry about making repairs or living in a home that may be bad for your health. We allow you to sell your house quickly and move on with your life – often with a better house in a better neighborhood.

Fill out the short form below to see if your house qualifies for a free quote.

 

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