If you experience a fire in your home, your first steps should always be to get everyone outside and call 911. If the fire is small you can utilize a fire extinguisher yourself. But either way, you will likely feel shaken up at the extent of damage and uncertain of what to do next. That’s why preparing for emergencies ahead of time is so important. Reading this blog is the first step.
Listen to authorities. Let them tell you when it is safe to go back into the home. Even if everything looks fine to the untrained eye, structural damage can leave a home unsafe to occupy.
Should you call your homeowners insurance representative? Obviously, if the damage is extensive, you’ll be filing an insurance claim. However, if the damage is minor and you have higher deductibles on your policy, you may want to consult a restoration company first and get an idea of what will be necessary for clean up. If you do need to file a claim, an adjuster will be assigned to your case and they will assist with coverage, including temporary lodging if you are unable to enter the home.
Call a restoration company. Call us to help you assess and mitigate smoke and fire damage. We can help you with:
- Smoke odor removal and air purification
- Cleaning of soot from walls, floors, ceilings, furniture, etc
- Removal of water and water damage services, if considerable amounts of water were used to put out the fire
- Disinfectants and/or mold and mildew prevention
- Property damage assessments and referrals to other services as needed
Collect pictures and receipts. Hopefully, you have filed pictures and receipts of expensive purchases in a safe location. If you didn’t organize this step ahead of time, consider looking through your social media account or online credit card statements. Your homeowners insurance policy will cover most items lost in a fire, but they might require proof of some things.
While it can be tempting to tackle these chores yourself, fire damage is often more expensive than it appears to the naked eye. And since homeowners insurance policies almost always cover restoration services, you might as well call in the experts. Call us right away, and we can help get your home back to normal as quickly as possible.
