The Phenomenon of Soot Webs

8/8/2018 (Permalink)

This is an example how soot tags look. You can see how easy it is to assume they are spider webs covered in soot.

Being fire restoration specialists we have seen a lot of fire damaged homes and businesses in Wichita, KS over the years. Sometimes the extent of the damage is very evident especially when the damage is on the walls and ceilings of homes. Other times the most extensive part of the damage is in the attics, or trapped between walls where it is unseen until we dig in with our inspection. 

One of the most common visible instances of fire damage are the black spider webs that seem to spring out of nowhere after a fire. These spider webs are actually called “Soot Tags” and actually don’t have anything to do with spider webs. So you can put your worries to rest because there is no such thing as “fire spiders” as one of our customers put it. 

Soot Tags form in areas of low circulation when petroleum/synthetic based sources burn. In a fire the heat of the fire moves into colder areas since the air seeks to create equilibrium. Since that soot is riding the air with that heat soot particles follow the air into those colder areas with low circulation and are able to concentrate. Since that soot is a product of combustion the particles themselves are charged which makes it quite easy for them to create long chains of soot or soot tags. So while it looks like a lot of soot got stuck on pre-existing spider webs it is actually a whole new structure. 

If your home of business in Wichita is affected by smoke or fire damage give us a call so we can start making it “Like it never even happened.” at (316) 684 – 6700.