When a piano has survived a house fire, watch out for future
complications from strange chemicals that might have invisibly coated
the interior of the piano action.  Over the years that I have serviced
pianos I had a few that experienced this unfortunate situation.

At first, the pianos only seemed to have a trace of exterior smoke
damage.  The interiors looked fine, and were thought to be salvageable
with a good exterior cleaning.  The owner and (especially) the
insurance company were eager to get everything settled and back in
order as soon as possible with the least amount of work or expense.

A few years later, things can change.  I discovered severe corrosion
and rust on most of the interior metal parts.  At this point, the cost
of rebuilding the piano was more than the pianos value, or extremely
expensive.  The insurance claim had been settled and it was too late.

This is not always the case, but it can occur.

Bruce Clark