Experiencing a fire in your home or business can be extremely stressful. You may find yourself at the beginning of a confusing and long process to get your property back to “normal”. Not only has the fire itself caused damage, but there may be resulting smoke / soot damage and water damage from putting the fire out. The following initial steps will help set you on the path to recovery.
- If you have insurance, contact your insurance company. They will help you get a claim started and can discuss what your policy covers. Most likely you will need to relocate while fire remediation is ongoing for at least some period of time. Check with your insurance to see if you are covered by Assisted Living Expense or Business Interruption Coverage.
- Contact your landlord or mortgage company to report the fire.
- Once the fire department deems the property safe to enter, try to find valuable documents and records. This may not be until emergency board up / securing the property has occurred.
- Start saving receipts for any money you spend related to the fire loss. These receipts may be needed by your insurance company.
- Contact a local, trusted, certified professional restoration company as soon as possible to start the process of fire remediation. It is important to begin remediation as soon as possible to avoid further structural and content (personal property) damage.
By: Sarah Hamilton
Executive Director, BAC Restoration
