The first days after a house fire
The fire is out and the trucks have left. What happens in the next few days decides how much of the house and its contents can be saved. Start with safety, then secure the house, then call your insurer, then let a restoration company stop the damage that is still happening, from firefight water to smoke settling into everything.
Before you go back in
- Wait until the fire department says it is safe to enter. Ask when the power and gas can be turned back on, and by whom.
- Ask for the fire report or incident number. Your insurer will want it.
- Don't turn on the furnace or the air conditioning; the system can spread soot through the ducts.
- Wear a mask and gloves, and sturdy shoes. Soot and ash are irritating, and floors may be weak.
Day one
- Call your insurer. Ask about additional living expense coverage if you can't stay in the house, and what they need before cleanup starts.
- Secure the house. Broken windows and doors get boarded, roof openings get tarped. In winter this is urgent: snow through a burned roof adds a water loss.
- Get the firefight water out. Hose water soaks floors and runs into the basement. It needs extraction and drying like any other water job. Water damage restoration.
- Photograph every room before anything is moved or cleaned.
What to save, what to let go
Hard items such as dishes and glass usually clean. Clothing and fabrics often clean well with the right process. Food and medicine exposed to heat or smoke generally go, and so do mattresses and upholstered furniture that were soaked. Electronics may look fine and still be corroded inside. Keep a list with photos of everything you throw away; your adjuster needs it.
The US Fire Administration's After a Fire guide covers replacing documents and valuing property.
The restoration job
Board-up and drying come first. Next comes removing burned material, then soot and smoke cleaning, then the rebuild. Fixr puts most fire restoration jobs at $3,000 to $40,000, with an $11,900 average for a multi-room job. The rebuild needs a Utah-licensed contractor once it reaches $7,000, and the electrical work needs a licensed electrician at any size. Fire damage restoration.
Questions Salt Lake homeowners ask
How soon can I go back into my house after a fire?
Only when the fire department says it is safe. That can be the same day for a small kitchen fire, or never for a structure that has to come down. Ask them, and ask who will restore power and gas.
Who boards up the house?
A restoration company or a contractor. Many insurers expect you to secure the property promptly and will reimburse reasonable board-up costs; keep the receipt.
How much does fire damage restoration cost?
Fixr puts most fire damage restoration jobs at $3,000 to $40,000, with an $11,900 average for a multi-room job, or $4 to $6.50 per square foot. Smoke cleanup alone runs $200 to $1,200 and soot cleanup $400 to $1,700. Rebuilding burned rooms is extra, about $50 per square foot by Fixr's figure.