
What Happens After a House Fire? How Does Fire Restoration Work?

What should I do if my house catches on fire?
Believe it or not, house fires happen more frequently than you’d expect. Gas leaks, cigarettes thrown into trashcans, stove top fires, a lightning strike… when your house catches on fire, you’ve got a problem on your hands. It’s important to know what to do and how to handle a house fire so you maximize your savings and minimize losses.
What Happens After a House Fire
Let’s say your home was struck by lightning and caught fire. You are standing in front of your home, shocked, as the fire department puts out the fire. What do you do now?
What Happens the Day of the Fire
This is what you need to do immediately after the fire or even while the fire is being extinguished.
1. Make sure all utility companies have been contacted and the gas, electric and water lines have been shut off. Chances are the fire department will help you with this, but you may need to make the calls yourself. The water should be turned off at the street.
2. Call your insurance company and report the fire. Let them know you are contacting a restoration company to help you with the problem, and ask them to start the process of dealing with a house fire.
3. Call a restoration service company and get the process started. They will come out right away to begin the preliminary damage assessment.
4. Ask friends or neighbors to get you a face mask to protect yourself from headaches or respiratory problems when you enter your home to retrieve some of your things. Face masks can be found at any local hardware store. They are inexpensive and will help a lot.
5. Go back into the house to retrieve important items.
Once the home has been cleared for entry, you will need to go inside your home and remove several things:
- Important paperwork you cannot do without
- Drugs of any kind (Because of liability factors, the restoration company and insurance company will halt work if they discover drugs - legal or illegal. This includes marijuana.)
- Guns and ammunition (Again, for liability reasons, the restoration company and insurance company will not work on your home if guns are present)
- A suitcase or two of clothing plus shoes; you will probably be out of your home for a while
- Pet supplies and pets
- Perishables from the fridge and freezer
6. Video and photograph your home’s contents for your own records. Video and photo evidence is like insurance; you probably won’t need it, but if you do, you’ll regret not having it.
7. Find a place to stay. Your insurance company will probably either pay for you to rent a place or pay you a stipend towards housing while you are displaced from your home if you choose to stay at a friend or family member’s home.
The Day After the Fire
This is when the work really begins. Here’s what happens:
Your insurance company and the restoration service company will both send out assessors to review the damage. A team of experts will document the level of damage in extreme detail. It’s important to get the restoration service expert there because this is the person who will be representing your interests; after all, the insurance company wants to replace, clean and restore as few things as possible in order to save the insurance company money. The restoration service company representative will advocate for you, getting you as many services and restoration actions approved as possible.
You will want to be at the home while this happens, so take the day off work. Plan on this taking all day.
You will probably also want to remove more items from your home. Remember, everything in your home will smell like smoke, so you’ll want to wash it when you get to the place you are temporarily staying.
The Weeks (or Even Months) After the Fire
Smoke damage is usually extensive and quite invasive. Things you never imagined would ever need to be cleaned will be catalogued, removed from your home, and cleaned or replaced. This requires careful handling of your belongings and negotiations with the insurance company, and a total restoration can take much longer than you’d expect since smoke is a particularly difficult odor to remove.
Both the insurance company and the restoration company will be in frequent contact as they coordinate cataloguing, removal, cleaning, and replacement or restoration of your floors, carpet, clothes, pictures, furniture, etc. You may get new paint throughout the house, or new carpet. If water damage also occurred during the fire or extinguishing thereof, you may even get new flooring or cabinets. While this is a painstakingly long process, the end result is a clean, fresh, restored home.
Thinking of Handling This Yourself? Think Again
Smoke damage is much more intense than most people realize. Even a small fire that is quickly extinguished may result in lingering smoke damage. If you first thought it wasn’t a big deal and put off contacting your insurance company and restoration company, you may change your mind during that first night sleeping in your home. The smoke permeates everything, and you may find yourself unable to sleep, breathe or even think clearly due to the smoke damage. You may discover *everything* smells like smoke.
This happens more often than you’d expect. People underestimate the impact of a fire, and then, after a miserable, sleepless night coughing and waking up to a headache, they realize they need help dealing with the smoke damage. We understand this and can help you get back on track.
Need Charlotte Fire Restoration Services?
We at E.R. Services do not offer restoration services, but we do offer everything you could need to help prevent fires. If you do need expert fire restoration services, we can put you in touch with an equally reputable company that can provide them. Give us a call and we’ll help you get through the process as smoothly and easily as possible.
Article Summary
Quick question & answer: What should I do after a house fire?
House fire protocol for the day of a house fire is to let your utility companies know and shut off your gas, electric, and water lines. Next, contact your insurance carrier. Call a restoration company for a preliminary damage assessment. Use a face mask to go in and retrieve your belongings once it has been cleared for safe entry.