What to Do After a Fire in Your Home?

Your Guide to House Fire Recovery Read Time: 5 Minutes | Oct 28, 2019

Standing in the aftermath after a house fire is an overwhelming experience. For most, we think it would never happen to us and so we might not have a plan of action when disaster strikes. After a house fire in your home follow the guidelines below to ensure you are on the quickest path to restoration.

Find a Safe Place to Stay

After contacting any family members who weren’t with you at the time of the fire, it’s time to figure out accommodations. You will not be able to stay in your home following the fire due to health concerns. Until you are cleared for reentry you’ll need a place to stay.

Your homeowner’s insurance policy will most likely cover food, shelter, and clothing for a period of time after the fire. This is called “Loss of Use or Loss of Rents” coverage and is pretty standard for most policies.

However, if recovery surpasses this time frame or your insurance doesn’t provide coverage then other options you can check include:

• American Red Cross
• Family and Friends
• Churches in the area
• A local disaster relief organization

Contact Your Homeowner’s Insurance Company

It is vital that you contact your insurance agent immediately to notify them of the fire. Luckily, most policies cover house fires under all standard insurance policies so it isn’t a matter of convincing them to help you.

Getting in touch with your insurance agent will give you access to an expert who can help you through the recovery process, ensuring you miss no important steps along the way.

Recover Your Possessions

Collect all your possessions and separate them between damaged and undamaged. Remove any salvageable possessions and remove them from the damaged home. You can put them in a storage unit or another safe space where they won’t be ruined. Oftentimes, insurance will cover the cost of storage but it’s best to check first before expecting the rental price to be automatically covered.

Your possessions have been exposed to extreme conditions and may no longer be usable. Check and dispose of the following in your house:

• Burned clothing
• Medications
• Cosmetic products
• Toiletries
• All food items

Create a List of All Damaged Items

From the damaged possessions you’ve separated out, you’ll need to create a list to present to your insurance agency. The inventory of damaged items from the fire should include:

• Date of purchase
• Brand name
• Serial number and model
• Description
• Price paid
• Copy of receipt

If you can’t find the receipts, you can use bank statements instead. You should also aim to include a picture of each item and indicate if it was a gift.

How to Replace Vital Documents Lost During a Home Fire

Another thing to keep in mind is how to replace any important documents lost or damaged in the fire. Each document is different but here is a breakdown of where you can go and what you’ll need to do to get replacement copies for the most common documents.

Social Security Card

Request a replacement SSS card online through the Social Security Administration website.

Birth, Marriage, or Death Certificates

In Florida, you can request a replacement copy of your vital documents online. This may vary for other states.

Passport

You must immediately notify the State Department of your lost passport. After, you can request a replacement be made.

Driver’s License

Replacement licenses (and state ID cards) can be requested through your state motor vehicle agency. Find yours

Title of Deeds

Contact the records department for the area where your home is located for a replacement.

Wills

Your attorney is the point of contact for replacing a copy of a Will.

Stocks and Bonds

Contact the issuing company of the stocks and bonds. You can also contact the broker responsible for managing these if you have one.

Insurance Policies

Contact your insurance providers for replacement documentation of your insurance policies.

Military Discharge Papers

The Department of Veterans Affairs will be able to help you with the replacement of military discharge papers.

Income Tax Records

Get replacement income tax records through the IRS center or from your accountant.

Citizenship Papers

The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services will help you get a replacement copy of your citizenship papers.

Mortgage Papers

The lending company you obtained your mortgage through will be able to replace this document for you.

Find Out When It’s Safe to Return to Your Home

What until reentry has been OK’ed by officials before you step inside any structure affected by the fire. Fires can restart and structural damage not visible from surface level can cause health risks.

Once permitted to return you should ensure your arms and legs are covered. It’s also a good idea to wear gloves and use other protective measures to prevent sickness caused by debris and soot.

Contact the Police

As you won’t remain in your house while it’s being restored from fire damage, the empty space becomes an attractive option for looters and squatters. Alerting the police of your fire and it standing vacant will help keep your home safe during the recovery period.

What You Can Do to Discourage Looters and Squatters While Gone

Boarding up your windows while your home stands vacant will discourage most looters and squatters from entering. This is something you can do yourself once given the go-ahead for reentry. If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of boarding up every window on your own you can hire a restoration company to do this for you.

Consider and Prepare Your Financial Situation

You will still need to pay your mortgage lender after the house fire. The insurance company will make these payments to you and the mortgage lender. Keep in mind, as you’re going through the process of rebuilding, you should first focus on keeping existing bills paid. Use only leftover funds to put toward rebuilding your home.

Don’t forget about car payments and credit card payments. This is a hectic time for your family but, by staying on top of finances throughout, you can prevent the extended trauma from negative financial fallout.

Collect a Copy of the Fire Report from the Fire Department

You may need a copy of the fire report of your home’s fire. This can be collected by contacting your fire department or the marshal’s office. This report includes the following information:

• When the fire occurred
• The area affected by fire
• Description of all damage from fire
• The ignition source of fire or cause

While you won’t necessarily need it, it’s better to get a copy in case your insurance agent requests it later on.

Confirm with Fire Department When You Should Turn Utilities Back On

Often times the fire department will turn off all utilities to prevent further damage to your home. When you do return and it’s time to flip everything back on there are three people you should contact before doing so:

• The fire department
• Your utility providers
• An inspector

If you switch utilities back on when you shouldn’t it could end up starting another fire, causing a leak, or potentially instigating severe water damage. It’s important that you protect your home from further harm by taking the proper steps for turning your utilities back on.

Contact Professionals for Help with Fire Restoration

The aftermath of a house fire can be devastating. Luckily, with a team of restoration professionals, you can eliminate some of your worries and focus on healing emotionally from the disaster.