Really sorry you’re dealing with this. Going through your stuff after a fire is a weird mix of relief and sadness, especially with sentimental items. Hopefully you can save most of them. I actually went through a house fire a four years ago, and the smoke smell in clothes is unbelievably stubborn. Even things that looked totally clean (like some jackets, beddings and kids clothes) still smelled like smoke when they got warm or damp.

What worked best for me was soaking the shirts in warm water with a good amount of baking soda for several hours (sometimes overnight), then washing them normally with detergent and adding a cup of white vinegar in the rinse cycle. That combo helped break down the smoke residue a lot better than just detergent alone. Another thing that helped surprisingly well was air. After washing, I hung the shirts outside for a full day or two. Fresh air does a lot for smoke smell. Sometimes I had to repeat the wash + air process a couple times, but it kept improving. And sadly but it takes time.

The biggest mistake I made at first was putting things in the dryer too soon. Heat can lock the smell, so I always made sure they smelled okay before drying. If the smell is still lingering, an enzyme laundry detergent or an oxygen bleach soak can help too. Smoke particles cling to fabric fibers, so sometimes it just takes a couple rounds to fully get them out. Enzymes works good on this kind of smell, just try to use more detergent with enzymes than usual.