How come nails are popping out of our walls after a garage fire?

In April we had a garage fire which is attached to our house. In the last couple of months nails started popping out of our ceiling and now they are coming out of the walls. This is not in the area where the fire was.How come nails are popping out of our walls after a garage fire?
The water used to fight the fire created steam which worked its way into the attic. This moisture weakened the drywall to the point where it's starting to pop the nails. Take down a section of drywall and check for moisture or water damage. You will probably need to replace the drywall. Remember that on the ceiling you will have to use 5/8'; for the fire rating. Hope this helps.How come nails are popping out of our walls after a garage fire?
One of the great things about drywall is it's ability to withstand fire due to it's moisture content. I suspect that even though the fire was in the garage, the heat from the fire absorbed some of the moisture in the drywall close to the garage causing it to shrink a bit.





It may have also caused the nails or screws used to hold the drywall to the studs and joist to elongate thereby causing them to ';pop'; out. You may even see the taped joints beginning to crack as well as the drywall ';mud'; used has a moisture content too and it will have shrunk as well.





Homes naturally settle over the time causing screws and nails to loosen or lose some of their grip in wood and drywall. This process can be accelerated by water and fire damage or even the heat from a fire.





You should have your home inspected by a professional as you may have further structural damage that can be hidden and may need immediate repair. You may also need to refile on your homeowners insurance for the repairs.
You didn't say if the garage was destroyed or if it was repaired and put back into use.





In addition to the other suggestion about water damage, it could be due to vibration from the garage door being opened and closed, particularly if you have a GD opener. One house I lived in had that problem on a wall next to the garage. I reduced the movement on the rafter where the opener was mounted by installing cross-bracing.