How much can it cost to clean up after a grease fire?
Grease Fire Cleanup Costs: Residential & Commercial Scenarios
1. Residential – Minor Kitchen Fire. When a grease fire is confined to the kitchen (surfaces/appliances only, light smoke, no structural damage), costs are relatively low. You’re typically paying for smoke/soot cleanup and odor control. HomeAdvisor notes $200–$1,200 per room for smoke cleanup
, and thermal fogging or ozone deodorization adds roughly $200–$600
. No major repairs are needed – perhaps a little cleanup of cabinets, counters and appliances. In practice, a minor kitchen fire cleanup usually runs in the hundreds to a few thousand dollars.
For example, one restoration guide cites “as little as $800” for minor cooking-fire smoke cleanupangi.com
, and another notes “a few hundred dollars” on the very low end
. Key factors here include kitchen size and smoke extent; a small one-room cleanup (roughly 200–400 sqft) often totals ~$500–$3,000
.
- Services: Soot/smoke cleaning (~$200–$1,200 per room)homeadvisor.com
- , deodorizing (ozone/fog ~$200–$600)angi.com
- Typical cost range: ~$500–$3,000 totalgofirstresponse.com
- Primary drivers: Affected area size, smoke level, and labor intensity.
2. Residential – Moderate Damage. If the grease fire spreads into adjacent rooms, restoring the home requires additional work. Beyond cleaning and deodorizing, there are minor repairs (patching drywall, repainting, fixing cabinets). Smoke/soot cleanup can span multiple rooms (often $2,000–$6,000 total)homeadvisor.com
. Deodorization is similar ($400–$1,200 for two or more rooms). Minor repairs (e.g. drywall patching) typically add $500–$2,000; for reference, drywall repair averages about $294–$924 per sectionangi.com
. Overall restoration costs for these medium-damage cases are often in the mid‐thousands. In practical terms, homeowners frequently see totals on the order of $5,000–$20,000, depending on how many rooms need repair. (Insurance claims and cost guides confirm moderate fires typically yield bills in this range.)
- Services: Multi-room smoke cleanup ($2,000–$6,000)homeadvisor.com
- , deodorization, patching drywall/cabinets ($500–$2,000)angi.com
- .
- Typical cost range: ~$5,000–$20,000 (includes cleaning and small repairs).
- Primary drivers: Number of rooms affected, extent of smoke, and scope of repairs (drywall, cabinetry, painting).
3. Residential – Severe Damage. In a serious grease fire (major spread, structural harm), full fire-damage restoration is needed. This involves total cleanup of heavy soot and rebuilding. Smoke/soot removal alone can easily exceed $6,000–$10,000 for a large kitchen and adjacent spaces. Deodorization will be intensive (often $1,000–$2,000+). The biggest costs are major repairs: tearing out damaged walls, ceilings and flooring, and rebuilding cabinets or entire kitchen sections. HomeAdvisor notes structural rebuilds can run $15,000–$25,000 per roomhomeadvisor.com
. In aggregate, full restoration often ranges from $50,000 up to $100,000 or more. For scale, Angi reports that extensive house fires can reach $180,000angi.com
. In our “severe” kitchen scenario, expect tens of thousands: on the low end you might get by for $20K–$30K if the damage is limited, but full kitchen rebuilds can push $50K–$100K+. (One category-based guide pegs Class K (kitchen) fires at $12K–$20K on averageroyalrestorationdmv.com
, but this is for moderate cases – severe events exceed that.)
- Services: Whole-house soot/smoke cleanup (often $6,000+), intensive odor removal (~$1,000–$2,000+).
- Major repairs: Extensive reconstruction ($15K–$25K per heavily damaged roomhomeadvisor.com
- ).
- Typical cost range: ~$20,000–$100,000+ (full rebuild; heavy end can approach $100K)angi.com
- .
- Primary drivers: Amount of structural rebuild needed, square footage affected, and replacement of appliances/cabinetry.
4. Commercial (Restaurant) – Grease Fire. Commercial kitchens amplify costs due to large equipment and strict sanitation codes. Cleanup must be to commercial standards, often including vent/hood and HVAC duct cleaning. Typical components: deep cleaning of all surfaces, heavy-duty hood/duct de-greasing, and replacement of damaged appliances. Industry estimates break down costs as follows: smoke/soot cleanup ~$1,500–$5,000hoodbuilder.com
; vent/HVAC cleaning $2,500–$10,000hoodbuilder.com
; equipment replacement $5,000–$50,000+hoodbuilder.com
; deep sanitization/odor control $2,000–$8,000hoodbuilder.com
. Altogether, restaurant fires often cost tens of thousands of dollars. Insurers cite quickly contained fires at ~$1K, but uncontained ones average ~$60,000 lossesacmclaims.com
. (News reports of actual incidents show cleanup/repair figures in the $30K–$40K rangeapnews.com
.) A rundown of a typical commercial claim might be $30K–$150K+, driven by equipment and code compliance. Business-interruption (lost revenue) can further multiply the impact.
- Services: Commercial-grade smoke and grease cleanup ($1,500–$5,000)hoodbuilder.com
- ; hood/duct de-greasing ($2,500–$10,000)hoodbuilder.com
- ; deep sanitizing (~$2,000–$8,000)hoodbuilder.com
- .
- Equipment: Replacement of fryers, ovens, hoods, etc. (~$5,000–$50,000+hoodbuilder.com
- ).
- Typical cost range: ~$30,000–$150,000+, depending on damage and downtimeacmclaims.com
- hoodbuilder.com
- .
- Primary drivers: Extent of structural and appliance damage, cleaning to health-code standards, and business closure duration.
Cost Comparison Table
Component / ServiceMinor Home FireModerate Home FireSevere Home FireCommercial Restaurant FireSmoke/Soot Cleanup~$200–$1,200 per roomhomeadvisor.com
(single room)~$2,000–$6,000 totalhomeadvisor.com
(multi-room)~$6,000–$20,000+
(whole-home scale)~$1,500–$5,000 intensivehoodbuilder.com
Odor Removal (fogging/ozone)~$200–$600angi.com
~$400–$1,200 (multiple rooms)~$1,000–$2,000+ (whole house)~$2,000–$8,000 deep sanitizationhoodbuilder.com
Minor Repairs (drywall, cabinets)None needed~$500–$2,000 patch work
(e.g. drywall ~$294–$924 per patchangi.com
)~$2,000–$10,000 total (extensive repair)~$3,000–$15,000 (cabinets, decor)hoodbuilder.com
Major Repairs (structural)—~$1,000–$5,000 (small rebuild)~$20,000–$50,000+ (rebuild rooms)~$10,000–$100,000+hoodbuilder.com
Equipment ReplacementMinimal (small appliances)Some appliances ($500–$2,000)Full kitchen ($20K+)~$5,000–$50,000+hoodbuilder.com
Estimated Total Cost~$500–$3,000gofirstresponse.com
~$5,000–$20,000~$20,000–$100,000+angi.com
~$30,000–$150,000+acmclaims.com
Sources: Cost figures are drawn from recent restoration industry and insurance estimatesangi.com
. Actual costs vary by region, home/restaurant size, and damage specifics; insurance coverage often reduces out-of-pocket expense. Each scenario assumes professional fire-restoration services are used, as DIY cleanup is generally inadequate for smoke/soot removalangi.com
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