After a House Fire: What to Do in the First 48 Hours
Make sure everyone is safe and has somewhere to sleep tonight. Then get the fire report number, call your insurance company, and photograph the damage before anything is moved. Get the house secured (boarded up and tarped), take out only what you truly need, and don't start cleaning soot yourself. Keep every receipt from this point on.
The hours after a fire are a blur for almost everyone. You don't have to get everything right today. You just need to do a few things in roughly the right order, so nothing important gets missed and your insurance claim starts on solid ground. Here's that order.
Hour by hour
- Right awayAccount for every person and pet. If anyone breathed in smoke, get them checked by a doctor, even if they feel fine.
- TonightFind a place to stay. Family and friends, a hotel, or the American Red Cross, which helps families after home fires with emergency lodging, food and basic needs. Many fire departments call them for you if you ask.
- Before you leave the sceneAsk the fire department for the incident or report number and how to get a copy of the report. Your insurer will ask for it.
- Within a few hoursCall your insurance company. Write down your claim number, your adjuster's name and phone number, and what they tell you to do next.
- Day 1Photograph and video every room, outside and in, once it's safe to enter. Get close-ups of damaged items and wide shots of each room.
- Day 1 to 2Get the house secured: windows and doors boarded, roof tarped. This protects what's left from rain and theft.
- Day 2Start a claim notebook (or a note on your phone) with every call, name, date and dollar spent.
Don't go back in until it's cleared
A house can look fine from outside and still have weakened floors, a damaged roof, or hot spots inside walls. Wait until the fire department says it's safe to enter. When you do go in, wear sturdy shoes, long sleeves, gloves and an N95 mask. Soot and ash are not just dirty. They can contain chemicals from burned plastics and building materials.
Leave the utilities alone. Don't turn the power, gas or water back on yourself. The fire department or utility company often shuts them off, and they should be checked by the utility or a licensed electrician or plumber before they're turned back on.
Call your insurer (and what to ask)
Report the fire as soon as you can. Most policies require "prompt notice." Have your policy number if you can find it, but don't wait for it: your agent or insurer can look you up by name and address.
- What's my claim number, and who is my adjuster?
- Do I have coverage for additional living expenses (hotel, meals, mileage), and can I get an advance today?
- Should I arrange board-up and tarping, or will you send someone?
- Is a contents packout likely, and do I pick the company?
- What do you need from me, and by when?
If you rent, call your renters insurance company for your belongings and living costs, and call your landlord. The landlord's policy covers the building, not your things.
Secure the house
An empty, damaged house with broken windows is an easy target, and rain through a burned roof can ruin what the fire didn't. Most policies expect you to take reasonable steps to prevent more damage, and the cost of board-up and tarping is usually part of the claim. Keep the invoice and photos of the work.
If the fire department used a door or window for entry, it may be wide open. Tell your adjuster right away if you can't get the house secured.
What to take with you, and what to leave
Take only what you need for the next few days:
- Wallets, IDs and keys
- Prescription glasses and hearing aids
- Phones, chargers and laptops (don't power on if wet or hot)
- Important papers you can reach safely
- Jewelry and small valuables
- Pet food and leashes
Throw out food and medicine that was near heat, smoke or firefighting water. Heat can spoil sealed food and make medicines less effective, and smoke fumes can get into containers. Your pharmacist can help replace prescriptions, and this cost is usually part of the claim.
Leave everything else where it is for now. Damaged items are proof for your claim. Don't throw out the burned couch or the smoky clothes until your adjuster has seen them, or at least until you've photographed them well.
Why you shouldn't clean soot yourself
It's natural to want to start scrubbing. But soot smears when it's wiped, gets pushed deeper into fabrics and wood when it's rubbed, and some cleaners set the stains permanently. Smoke residue can also be acidic and keep damaging metals and electronics over the next few weeks. That's why restoration crews use dry sponges, HEPA vacuums and special cleaners first, before anything wet.
Opening windows for air is fine. Running the home's heating or air conditioning is not, unless a pro has checked it: it can blow soot through the whole house.
Tell the people who need to know
- Your mortgage lender: insurance checks for the building are often made out to you and your lender together.
- Your employer and kids' schools: so they understand if you miss time.
- The post office: hold or forward your mail.
- Utilities: ask about pausing service and billing while you're out.
- Your local police: let them know the home is empty.
Keep every receipt
From the moment you leave the house, many of your extra costs may be covered: the hotel, meals above what you'd normally spend, a toothbrush, a phone charger, a change of clothes. Keep every receipt in one envelope, or snap a photo of each one. It's tedious, and it adds up.
The bottom line
Safety, a place to sleep, the fire report number, your claim number, and photos. Then secure the house, take only what you need, and leave the cleaning to people who do it every day. Everything else can wait a day.
General information only, not legal or insurance advice. Always follow the instructions of the fire department, and check your own policy and your adjuster's guidance.