10 guides
After a fire: what to do, in order
The fire is out. What is safe to go back into, what smoke does to a house, what can be cleaned and what cannot, and what the policy pays for while you live somewhere else.
The fire is out
What is safe to enter, and what to do in the first hours.
- The fire is out Do not go back in until the fire service says you can, then call your insurer before you call anyone else. The first hours are about people, somewhere to sleep, and not letting anyone start cleaning.
- Safe to go back in? Only when the fire service says so, and even then only with a mask and gloves for short trips. Smoke residue is corrosive and the structural damage that matters is usually the part you cannot see.
- Smoke, no real fire Ventilate immediately and do not wipe anything with water. A pan fire or a burning appliance puts oily soot through a whole house, and wiping it wet sets the stain permanently.
- You put it out yourself Call the fire service anyway. A fire that looked out can still be burning inside a wall or a ceiling void, and they carry thermal cameras that find it before it restarts in the night.
Smoke, soot, and water
What can be cleaned, what cannot, and what makes it worse.
- What smoke does Soot is acidic and it keeps working: it etches metal, discolors plastic, and bonds into porous surfaces over days. That is why speed matters and why the wrong cleaning makes it permanent.
- Water from firefighting Firefighting puts thousands of gallons into a building, and the drying clock starts immediately. Most policies cover it as part of the fire loss, and it is often more extensive than the burn.
- What can be saved Hard, non-porous, and washable things usually survive. Anything that absorbed smoke, and all food and medication, does not. Photograph and list everything before it goes, including the obvious losses.
Insurance and living elsewhere
What is covered, what pays for somewhere to stay, and what it costs.
- Does insurance cover fire? Fire is a covered peril in essentially every homeowners policy, including the smoke and the water used to put it out. The arguments are about amounts, contents, and where you live in the meantime, not usually about coverage.
- Living somewhere else Additional living expenses pays the difference between what you normally spend and what you have to spend now. Keep every receipt, including meals and laundry, and find out early whether it is capped by money or by time.
- What restoration costs Ask for it as four numbers: emergency board up and drying, smoke and soot cleaning, contents restoration, and the rebuild. A single figure hides which of the four is driving it.