Big Boys Hobbies

UPDATE:Recovering Heirlooms from House Fire

NevTrac

NevTrac

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Jul 26, 2010
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Location
Carson City Nevada
Some of you may have heard or read about a wildfire that ripped through south Reno Nv a couple weeks ago. It destroyed 29 homes, one of which belonged to the parents of a friend of mine. When I say destroyed, I mean burnt to the ground.

My question is, do you think it's possible that any thing such as gold rings, lockets, etc. could have survived at least partially intact. I know gold melts around 1900*, but I don't know how hot a typical house fire gets.

I'm going there Saturday morning and my plan is to remove all the large debris by hand then shovel stuff into buckets and put it through a sifter and then use the metal detector to try and find any valuables.

I think it's a long shot, but if I can find anything that the insurance company can't replace for these poor people who lost everything it's got to be worth the effort.

Any advice or suggestions are greatly welcomed.

Worked all day with only a little success. I knew it would be tough and it was. We salvaged a few coins and trinkets, but the best thing was I was able to save a silver bracelet that has been in the family for generations. (sorry, didn't get a pic). I also saved a 14k engagement ring.

I think they were a little more hopeful that we would be able to save more, but after the painstaking effort today they realize that it's time to bring in the bulldozer and start over so at the very least I provided a form of closure.

Keith
 

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yes, it's possible. I used to run a crew doing sewer/water/fire damage restoration (cleaning suicides was the worst...well..that and fridges with 9month old food and not plugged in) and quite a few things would survive.

One time had a guy's house just destroyed by a fire. Foundation and some fat beams from the attic that had fallen through into the rubble. He had quite a few boxes of hunting/fishing magazines and almost all of them survived. Alot of soot and such, but still salvageable.

your idea sounds good. Just be careful! Clearing the large debris and shoveling out the rest of it to sift is a great idea. Remember to check the burnt wood etc.. that you haul out. Might have stuff melted onto it. Might find something for melt stuck on one.
 
House fire can get very hot. I know one case where cabinet full of sports trophies melted down to one lump...there were silver & gold medals and such...end result was a football sized lump of molten metal and glass. Looked rather pretty though :)

Voriax
 
If it burnt to the ground, there will be nothing left of the original items. There will be melted lumps of gold and silver but there will also be lots of melted copper, aluminum, steel, etc. The molten metal will also be mixed with ash, cinders, concrete, glass, etc.

It can't hurt to look for something, but don't get your hopes up.
 
There are tons of variables in a house fire.

Aluminum melts at 1200f. I've had plenty of weenie roasts and pop cans rarely melted. How much oxygen was fed to the fire is also a major factor. How much combustible fuel was kept near the object is a major factor.

If there was an oil, gas, etc stored in the house, it can play a role.

I've seen cars catch on fire, and burn to a shell, with the aluminum wheels still intact.

Also how big the item is can play a role. I've set a lead block in a fire and it did not hardly melt due to the size.

Silver melts at 1700f. Gold melts at around 1850f.

A house fire on average burns at around 1200f, but it can be hotter, and colder.

There is a pretty good chance those items are still there, unmelted.
 
Structure fires get MUCH hotter than 1200 degrees, they can pass 2000 degrees.

The objects that generally survive house fires are the ones that were setting on the floor, and that's if the fire gets put out. If it was uncontrolled and burnt to the ground as the OP states, even those objects rarely survive. Eventually the upper areas collapse in pile of burning material and embers that burn everything underneath.

Cars fires aren't house fires.
 
I think there's a great possibility that you could find small items intact. When houses burn and collapse, it can shield items from the heat. Good luck and a great thing to do for these people....Curt:grin:
 
It's definitely worth looking, don't assume that all parts of the house got to metal melting points. Even if they did, they would still be worth their metal content.
 
Find out if the family had jewelry and if so what part of the house it was in...Gold may melt but diamonds do not and can withstand up to 3000 degrees F. before they burn! So if you know the room the jewelry was kept in ....like a bedroom, then concentrate first on that room and sieve the stuff on an 1/8th inch screen to find any diamonds over a 1/4 carat and the gold lumps!

I had a friend who was feeding his roaring wood stove and his diamond studded masonic ring slipped off his finger and into the fire. He put the damper on and smothered the fire and 2 days later sifted through the charcoal...got his nice 1 1/3rd carat diamond back and his gold lump of what had been his ring! :lol::lol: He had it recast into another Masonic ring and the diamond reset...called it his "trial by fire" ring! :laughing::laughing:
 
Im a firefighter. I dont think i would even attempt it. There will be globs of metal everywhere. I have been in 1200 degrres and the intire house wasnt on fire. Couldnt imagine much hotter.
 
You can detect it but it would be a nightmare for iron and falsing. You will most likely find any heirlooms melted if they were precious metals, if you do find blobs then you may want to sift for gem stones in that area as well. While you most likely will not be returning the whole thing but, at least you can give them some part of them.
 
tater said:
Im a firefighter. I dont think i would even attempt it. There will be globs of metal everywhere. I have been in 1200 degrres and the intire house wasnt on fire. Couldnt imagine much hotter.
Click to expand...

Tater has a point. A sifter may work better than a detector in this case.
 
SeabeeRon said:
Tater has a point. A sifter may work better than a detector in this case.
Click to expand...

I plan on doing a lot of sifting. I'm also gonna take a large magnet to eliminate most of the iron. I know it's gonna be nasty work and I don't have much hope of salvaging anything, but I have to try.

Keith
 
carcur said:
very cool
do you think you got it all?
Click to expand...

Absolutely not.
Concentrated search in master bedroom where jewelry was. His gold wedding band was on nightstand next to bed with 2 watches. Found what was left of both watches, but not the ring :?::?::?:

Keith
 
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