A Detailed Guide on What to Do After a House Fire

According to data from the National Fire Protection Association, there are an average of 353,100 fires each year. These lead to thousands of injuries and deaths each year, as well as billions of dollars worth of damage.

If one broke out in your home, would you know what to do after a house fire? Most people probably wouldn’t.

However, as soon as you realize that everyone is safe and sound, you need to get into action. Making moves early on will ensure that everyone stays safe and that your property and belongings get taken care of.

So what should your action plan look like?

Keep reading to learn all about the steps that you should take after a house fire.

Ensure Everyone’s Safety

In the chaos of a fire, it’s easy to get separated from the other members of your household. The first thing that you should therefore do is ensure that everyone is safe and together.

If you have small children, the fire may affect them particularly hard. Do your best to console them and remind them that everything’s going to be alright.

Now is also a good time to phone family members or close friends who live outside the house. You want them to be able to help you through the fire restoration process.

Make an Insurance Claim

Once everyone is safe, you must call the insurance company as soon as possible. It might seem like busy work that you don’t want to deal with at the time, but making a claim early on is important.

To help you out, we recommend working with a fire insurance claim attorney. They’ll know exactly how to navigate the process, which is great since many people find it overwhelming.

Make sure that you get a fire report from the local fire department. Many insurance companies request that you show it to them.

Figure Out if Your Home Is Liveable

Most people don’t realize how hot fire is. Government data shows that it can reach temperatures of 100 degrees at floor level. At eye level, temperatures around 600 degrees aren’t uncommon.

Besides being deadly to living creatures, these temperatures can also cause serious problems to even the sturdiest of homes. Burning is just one form of damage—soot, smoke, and heat can all cause problems as well.

If your home is damaged and not destroyed, you’ll need to wait for the fire department to clean it before you can go back inside. Depending on the extent of the damage, this can take a while.

Wait to Go Inside

It’s tempting to want to get inside as soon as possible, but waiting until the fire department gives you the all-clear is a must.

Fires that look like they’re out can restart under the right conditions. These can quickly burn through the remainder of your house. There can also be different forms of hidden damage that can harm you and your family members.

When you do go inside, make a point to find your items of value. This should include things like passports, birth certificates, and any medications that you or a family member needs.

Start Organizing Everything

Organizing your belongings after a house fire can be emotional and difficult, especially if the damage was extensive. However, it’s something that you need to take the time to do.

Make a point to separate all the damaged items from the items that are unharmed. This will make the process of filing a claim with your insurance company easier.

Writing a list of all of the different belongings that you have is also a good idea.  You can then try to get pictures, receipts, and other forms of proof that show their value later on.

Look for Items That You Can Salvage

If you’re reading this article and haven’t experienced a home fire before, invest in a fireproof safe right now. You can then store your most important items there, protecting them from damage in the case of an emergency.

Of course, not everything can fit into a safe, and that means that many of your objects will get damaged during a fire. Before using any of them afterward, ensure that you first have them professionally cleaned.

Sadly, often it’s not the fire itself that destroys objects. The flames may avoid something of value, but water, smoke, heat, or soot may end up destroying it.

Stay Somewhere Safe

While filing insurance claims and taking care of your possessions is important, it shouldn’t be your priority after the fire. Your main goal should be to get you and your household somewhere safe and secure for the time being.

If you have family members or friends that live nearby, you can stay with them until you figure everything out. Depending on the levels of damage, this might be until the restoration process finishes, or until you find a new place.

If you don’t have someone who can take you and your household in, look into reaching out to a charity organization. Local churches or disaster relief groups like the Red Cross might be able to assist you.

Understand What to Do After a House Fire

While you might not think that it could ever happen to your home, it’s never a bad idea to have a plan for what to do after a house fire.

Use this guide as a resource to ensure that if disaster strikes, you’re not caught off-guard. Remember that while material possessions may seem important, your priority should always be ensuring the wellbeing of your family.

Do you now have a better understanding of how to go about handling a house fire? If you do, make sure to check out the rest of our site to find other helpful guides, tips, and explanations.