A house fire can turn things upside down pretty fast. It is an emotionally terrifying experience, it can wreck untold damage to your home and possessions, and it can have a lasting psychological impact. But as with every other setback, taking the right, quick steps prevents further damage and allows for restoration of your property to its original, livable condition.
So what should you do after a fire?
- Contact your homeowner insurance provider
Soon after the fire has been extinguished, you should call your insurance company to get a claim number, the day and time when a claims adjuster will visit your property, and the permission to go ahead to begin emergency mitigation and remediation.
Also, during the call, report about the fire incident and find out what will be needed to file a successful claim. The insurer may even provide you with resources to help you tackle the fire damage as they deal with fires often.
Similarly, inform them you intend to document items damaged or lost in the fire for later reimbursement. Of course, an adjuster may have to personally inspect the damage before you can proceed, but photos are usually satisfactory in minor fires.
- Call a professional fire damage restoration company
Restoration professionals will help you through the recovery process and suggest the best steps to take based on the severity of the fire. Having an expert early in the process will mitigate the damage, ensure thorough cleaning, and reduce the overall costs associated with the damage.
Soon after arriving, the professionals will do initial cleanup of burnt possessions, including books, furniture, articles of clothing, and other prized items. This step is taken to de-clutter your home. It usually also includes sorting through the items, and determining what items to save and those damaged beyond repair.
Generally, items burnt or directly exposed to the fire will be tossed, including medications, food, household items, burnt clothing, burnt books and paper. This is usually a difficult and emotional thing as most of the items thrown away have personal significance.
- Document the damage
With the help of the fire damage restoration professionals, you should now take inventory of damaged items. This will enable you to have a clear picture of what you have lost in the fire and what you ought to claim.
The inventoried list should include damaged items and their purchase price, brand, and serial number, and other information that can help determine the loss.
Keep track of all the receipts for housing, meals, clothing, toiletries, and other out-of-the-ordinary expenses you may incur during this period. The insurance carrier may reimburse the expenses and will need the receipts for that.
You should also cancel or suspend subscriptions or utilities, such as water, cable, electricity, internet, and even mail if you’ll not be residing in the home during the restoration period.
Usually, emergency responders shut off utilities during a fire. But if you need them back on, you should check with the fire department before doing so as electricity can reignite a fire.
- Deal with smoke and soot damage
The heat and flames are not the only elements in fire damage. Usually, the adverse effects of a fire will reach every crevice of your home in terms of invisible smoke odors and visible soot.
In fact, even if the fire has been contained in a single room, it will cause damage in rooms far away from the flames. That’s because smoke has a tendency to flow from one room to another and cause as much damage as the fire itself.
Since fire damage restoration professionals understand the adverse effects of smoke and soot, you need them as early as possible to assess and deal with the smoke and soot damage. You can trust them to tackle the acidic soot residue and soot-related damage on various surfaces with utmost efficiency.
- Secure the property
Though your insurance policy will cover fire-related damages, any further damages or losses that occur after the fire is put out will not be covered.
Therefore, have your home secured from vandalism, theft, and inclement weather. Have all openings boarded up and lock and secure all outside doors that survived the fire. If you’re leaving the property, make sure all valuables are removed.
Timely, efficient fire damage restoration
At West Central Equipment and Restoration, we are a premier fire disaster and restoration service based in Lecanto, Florida. We have a team of qualified and dedicated staff on call 24/7 to respond to your fire, smoke, soot, water, mold, and wind damage.
And with over a decade of experience in the emergency restoration industry, you can trust us to restore your property to its pre-fire damage condition. For more information on fire damage restoration and other emergency remediation, visit the site “West Central Equipment and Restoration.”
