Food safety and cleaning after a wildfire

Photograph food and other items before discarding them. Your insurer may require an inventory. The following guidance on refrigerators, freezers and spoiled food cleaning and disposal after prolonged power outage is informed by Interior Health.

Before use, refrigerators and freezers should be visually inspected for external and internal damage. Do not use an appliance that appears damaged. Soot or smoke can enter through appliance openings, damage internal components and create a safety or fire hazard. Consult a professional appliance technician to determine whether the appliance is still safe to use or needs to be replaced. If you have insurance, ask about coverage if the appliance was damaged.

Before restocking, confirm that the refrigerator can maintain 4°C and the freezer can maintain -18°C and that appropriate cleaning has been completed. If those temperatures cannot be maintained, then the appliance is considered to not be working properly and should either be repaired or replaced. In the event of significant spoiled food and/or mould that cannot be cleaned appropriately, we recommend replacing the appliance.

• Remove everything from the refrigerator or freezer.
• Use paper towels or rags to wipe up spills and leaks and dispose of them with the food waste. 
• Wash out the appliance with warm, soapy water. 
• Disinfect the refrigerator or freezer with a strong bleach solution (1 tsp household bleach per 4 cups water). 
• Use latex or rubber gloves if you have sensitive skin that may be irritated by the bleach solution.
• To remove odours, wipe out the appliance with a mixture of water and baking soda, or keep a box of baking soda in the appliance. You also may want to air out the appliance for a few days before plugging it in and using it again. Secure doors in an open position to provide air flow and keep children away. 
• Wait until the refrigerator has returned to 4°C or the freezer has returned to -18°C before restocking with food.

• If your refrigerator or freezer does not work as it should (i.e. does not maintain temperatures), we recommend the appliance be repaired or replaced.
• If you cannot appropriately clean out spoiled food including mould, we recommend the appliance be replaced.
• If the appliance appears externally or internally damaged, do not try to use it. Consult a professional appliance technician to determine whether the appliance is still safe to use or needs to be repaired or replaced.  
• If the appliance was exposed to smoke or soot which may have damaged internal components, do not try to use it. Consult a professional appliance technician to determine whether the appliance is still safe to use or needs to be repaired or replaced.  
• If replacing your appliance, contact your insurance company about coverage as an eligible expense and your local government about its safe disposal.

• Discard refrigerated food if the power was out for four hours or more, the temperature rose above 4°C, or you cannot confirm time and temperature. When in doubt, throw it out.
• Discard frozen food that has thawed. Do not refreeze it. A full unopened freezer may keep food frozen for up to 48 hours, and a half-full freezer for up to 24 hours, but only if food remains frozen or contains ice crystals.
• Spoiled foods including meat products should be disposed of using personal protective equipment. Large quantities of foods or meat that cannot be disposed of in a residential setting may require additional steps for proper disposal.  Contact the SLRD for guidance at utilities@slrd.bc.ca or 604-894-6371 ext. 236.
• Discard food exposed to heat, ash, chemicals, firefighting water, fire retardant, soot or smoke.
• Discard food in paper, cardboard, plastic, cellophane, foam or other porous packaging exposed to smoke or heat.
• Discard jars and bottles with screw-top, crimped or crown-cap lids if exposed to heat. Seals may have failed.
• Discard cans that are bulging, rusted, leaking or badly dented.
• Undamaged canned goods exposed only to smoke may be washed and disinfected before use.
• Discard produce exposed to smoke or fire retardant, including produce from a garden when visible residue is present.

Discard medications, cosmetics, toiletries and cleaning products that were exposed to heat, smoke, ash, water or chemical residue. Do not place damaged hazardous products in regular garbage. 

Learn about disposal and recycling guidelines. 
For more information contact utilities@slrd.bc.ca or call 604-894-6371 ext. 236

Your insurance policy may cover professional fire restoration. Speak to your insurer before starting work. Use a qualified contractor for structural damage, significant contamination, hazardous materials, extensive mould or debris from a burned building.

Protect yourself: Wear an N95 respirator, safety glasses, durable gloves, long sleeves, long pants and sturdy footwear. Ventilate the area when outdoor air quality allows. Keep children and pets away from cleanup areas.

• Do not disturb ash or structural debris that may contain asbestos, lead or other hazardous materials. Arrange professional assessment before cleanup.
• Lightly mist loose ash with clean water before handling if a professional or local authority has confirmed it is safe to do so. Do not wash ash into roads, ditches, storm drains or waterways.
• Use damp cloths and wet mops. Do not dry sweep or dust.
• Use only a vacuum fitted with a HEPA filter. Change the filter as directed.
• Wash hard surfaces with mild detergent and warm water. Change the water often.
• Open windows and use fans only when there is no smoke or air quality advisory outside.
• Replace furnace and air-conditioning filters. Consider professional duct and ventilation cleaning.
• Do not turn on smoke- or ash-damaged electronics until they have been assessed and cleaned by a qualified technician.

• Before washing or steam cleaning fabric, carpets or upholstery, use a HEPA-filtered vacuum to remove loose soot. Do not use a regular vacuum or rub soot into the material. Consider professional cleaning for heavily soiled items. Launder or dry-clean affected clothing and washable materials. More than one rinse cycle may be needed.
• Consider using an off-site commercial machine designated for heavily soiled items.
• Steam-clean carpets, curtains and upholstered furniture if they can be safely salvaged.
• Attic insulation and porous materials may retain smoke odours and may require professional assessment or replacement.

• Tell your insurer and restoration contractor as soon as possible if you see or smell mould or find water damage.
• Remove standing water only when electrical, structural and contamination hazards have been addressed.
• Clean washable hard surfaces with warm water and soap, then dry them thoroughly.
• Remove wet carpet underlay. Dry salvageable carpet and materials as quickly as possible.
• Use fans and dehumidifiers only when power is safe and the equipment will not spread contamination.
• Use professional mould remediation for large areas, recurring growth or contamination involving sewage or hazardous materials.

• It may not be safe to eat fruits or vegetables that were growing above ground during the fire, especially if covered with fire retardants. Discard fruits and vegetables if visible fire-suppressant residues are present.
• In areas where fire retardant has been directly applied to fruit-bearing trees or berry bushes (e.g. raspberries, apples, blueberries, soft fruit): the current risk evaluation information is incomplete. As a precaution, consumption of fruit from gardens, forest or alpine areas to which retardant has been applied is not recommended. 
• Regularly wet down gardens and lawns until the smoke and ash have been diluted. Ash and soot on vegetation will continue to emit smoke odours for some time.
• Consider adding new, clean soil to gardens if you suspect or know the area was impacted.

• Re-sod or reseed grassy areas as needed. 
• Keep children and pets away from ash, debris, damaged fencing, standing water and chemical residue.
• Wash outdoor toys and play equipment with mild detergent and clean water. Ensure any water that may have been used in the fire is cleared away.
• If there is fire or structural damage to play equipment, consider blocking access to the area until play equipment is repaired or replaced.
• Replace sandbox sand and loose playground surfacing if ash, soot or firefighting materials are present.
• Have pools inspected for structural and equipment damage. Use a pool service company to restore water quality. If the pool water was not circulating or was not treated, harmful bacteria may have grown in the stagnant water. 
• Drain, scrub clean and refill hot tubs before use, then balance and disinfect the water.

Fire retardant is usually coloured red so it is visible to crews. It is water-soluble and is often removable with water. Dried residue may require gentle scrubbing or pressure washing with water and a mild detergent. Do not use bleach to clean fire retardant. 

• Wear protective clothing and keep children and pets away from residue and runoff.
• Wash siding, roofs, vehicles, outdoor furniture, tools and play equipment with water and mild detergent if needed.
• Rinse residue from vegetation. Do not consume produce that came into contact with retardant.
• Do not direct runoff into streams, ponds or storm drains.
• If fire retardant may have entered a pond or dugout used as a water supply, do not use the water until it has been assessed and, where advised, tested.
• Contact a health professional if you develop a reaction from contact with fire retardant.