Is it safe to go back inside my house after a fire?

Not until the fire marshal or a local building official gives you written clearance. Even a small fire can leave behind weakened floors, sagging ceilings, residual smoke gases, and electrical hazards from water intrusion. Once cleared, wear an N95 respirator, avoid turning on any utilities, and stay near the perimeter if you see visible charring on structural members.

Who do I call first after a house fire?

Call your insurance company first to open a claim and get a claim number. Then call an IICRC-certified fire restoration company to board up the property and document the damage before anything is cleaned. Notify your mortgage lender within 48 hours, and contact your gas, electric, and water utilities to suspend service until the property is inspected.

Will my homeowners insurance cover fire damage?

Most standard homeowners policies cover fire damage under dwelling coverage (Coverage A) for the structure and personal property coverage (Coverage C) for your belongings. They also typically include loss-of-use coverage (Coverage D) that pays for temporary housing while repairs are underway. Review your policy limits and call your insurer's claims line within 24 hours of the fire.

Can I clean soot and smoke damage myself?

You should not clean soot before your adjuster documents the damage, and standard household vacuums will spread fine soot particles rather than capture them. Professional soot cleaning requires HEPA-filtered equipment and dry-chemical sponges. Improper cleaning can permanently embed soot into drywall and wood, expanding the damage. Wait for a certified restoration crew to assess and begin cleaning.

How long does fire damage restoration take?

A contained fire in one room, like a kitchen fire, typically takes 4-6 weeks from assessment to completion. A fire that affects multiple rooms or the whole structure can take 6-12 months, especially when reconstruction is involved. Smoke odor neutralization often takes longer than the structural repairs. Your restoration company should provide a written timeline after the initial assessment.

What should I not throw away after a house fire?

Do not discard any damaged items before your adjuster visits and your restoration company completes a contents inventory. Even items that appear destroyed may be restorable or need to be documented for your personal property claim. Photograph everything in place first, then let the restoration crew pack out and inventory contents before anything is removed from the property.

What to Do After a House Fire: A Step-by-Step Recovery Guide

TL;DR: After a house fire, your first priority is getting everyone safely out and staying out until the fire marshal clears re-entry. Then call your insurance company, secure the property with emergency board-up, and contact an IICRC-certified fire restoration company to document the damage before anything is cleaned or moved. Do not re-enter, clean walls, or throw away damaged items until you’ve been cleared to do so.

If you’re reading this right now, you may have just been through one of the most frightening experiences a homeowner can face. Before anything else: if everyone is safe and accounted for, that’s what matters most. The house can be repaired. The steps below will help you move through the next 24-48 hours without making the recovery harder than it needs to be.

Is It Safe to Go Back Inside After a House Fire?

Do not re-enter your home until the fire marshal or a building official gives you written clearance. Even a fire that looked contained can leave behind structural damage that isn’t visible from the outside. Floors weaken. Ceilings sag. Smoke and combustion gases linger in wall cavities long after the flames are out.

Once you have clearance, watch for these hazards before stepping further inside:

Structural instability: Charred floor joists and roof decking can fail without warning. If you see visible charring on structural members, stay near the perimeter.
Electrical hazards: Do not flip any switches or use any outlets. Water from fire suppression can saturate electrical panels and wiring. Have a licensed electrician inspect before power is restored.
Smoke and soot toxicity: Combustion residue contains carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, and heavy metals depending on what burned. Wear an N95 respirator at minimum if you enter a smoke-damaged space.
Gas leaks: If you smell gas, leave immediately and call your utility company from outside.

The American Red Cross fire recovery guide has a useful checklist for the first hours after a fire, including how to find emergency shelter and replacement documents.

Who Should You Call First After a House Fire?

Call these contacts in this order, starting within the first few hours:

1. Your insurance company (within 24 hours) Most homeowners policies require you to report a loss promptly. Call the claims line on your policy card, not your local agent’s office number. Ask for a claim number immediately. Write it down. The insurer will assign an adjuster and may arrange temporary housing if your home is uninhabitable.

2. An emergency board-up and fire restoration company Your insurer will likely ask you to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage. That means securing broken windows, covering roof openings, and keeping unauthorized people out. An IICRC-certified restoration company can respond 24/7 to board up and tarp the property, then begin documenting the full scope of damage before any cleaning starts. This documentation protects your claim.

3. Your mortgage lender (within 48 hours) If you have a mortgage, your lender has a financial interest in the property and needs to know about a major loss. They’ll likely be listed as a co-payee on your insurance settlement check, so you’ll need their involvement anyway.

4. Local utilities If the fire department hasn’t already done so, contact your gas, electric, and water utilities to have service suspended at the meter until the property is inspected.

For a broader look at how fire damage claims work and what the restoration process involves, see our post on the fire damage restoration process.

Who Should You Call First After a House Fire: what to do after a house fire

What Should You Not Do After a House Fire?

Several instinctive actions can actually hurt your health, damage your claim, or make restoration more expensive.

Don’t clean anything before documentation. Soot and smoke residue are evidence. Your adjuster and the restoration crew need to see the original damage pattern to scope the work accurately. Wiping walls, vacuuming carpets, or throwing away damaged contents before the adjuster visits can reduce your settlement.

Don’t use household vacuums on soot. Standard vacuums spread fine soot particles into the air rather than capturing them. Soot cleanup requires HEPA-filtered equipment and specific dry-cleaning sponges. Improper cleaning can permanently embed soot into porous surfaces like drywall, wood, and upholstery. Our post on how to clean soot off walls explains exactly why DIY soot removal usually backfires.

Don’t turn on HVAC systems. Smoke particles circulate through ductwork. Running your furnace or air conditioner after a fire can distribute soot and odor compounds to rooms that were otherwise undamaged, expanding the scope of the loss.

Don’t discard damaged items. Even items that look destroyed may be restorable, or at minimum need to be inventoried for your contents claim. Photograph everything before anything leaves the property.

Don’t let contractors in without insurer approval. Some contractors solicit fire victims aggressively and ask homeowners to sign assignment-of-benefits agreements on the spot. Read anything carefully before signing. Your insurer has the right to review and approve the scope of work.

How Do You Secure a Fire-Damaged Home?

Emergency securing of a fire-damaged property serves two purposes: it prevents further weather damage and it deters theft and vandalism. Most insurers cover reasonable emergency securing costs as part of the claim.

A qualified restoration company will typically handle:

Board-up: Plywood over broken windows and doors, sized and secured to prevent entry
Roof tarping: Heavy-duty poly tarps over any areas where roofing was compromised, weighted and fastened to prevent wind uplift
Fencing or barricading: For properties with significant structural damage, temporary fencing keeps people out and limits liability
Content pack-out: If smoke or water damage threatens salvageable contents, a restoration company can inventory, pack, and store items in a climate-controlled facility while the structure is repaired

Get written documentation of everything done during emergency securing. Photographs before and after, a detailed scope of work, and itemized pricing all support your claim.

How Do You Start a Fire Insurance Claim?

Filing a fire claim is more involved than a typical water damage claim because the damage categories are broader: structural damage, smoke and soot damage, water damage from fire suppression, and personal property loss often all appear in the same claim.

Here’s how to set yourself up for the best outcome:

Document everything yourself, independently. Walk through the property with your phone and record video of every room, every damaged item, every affected surface. Do this before the adjuster visits. Your own documentation is a backup if there are disputes about scope later.

Request a written copy of your policy. Specifically look for your dwelling coverage limit (Coverage A), personal property limit (Coverage C), and loss-of-use or additional living expenses coverage (Coverage D). Loss-of-use coverage pays for hotel stays, meals, and temporary housing while your home is being repaired.

Create a contents inventory. List every damaged or destroyed item with approximate age, original cost, and replacement cost. Receipts help but aren’t required. Many insurers provide a contents inventory worksheet.

Ask your adjuster about advance payments. If you need immediate funds for housing, clothing, or food, most insurers can issue an advance against your settlement. You don’t have to wait for the full claim to be processed.

Consider hiring a public adjuster for large losses. A public adjuster works for you, not the insurance company, and takes a percentage of the settlement (typically 10-15%). For complex, high-value losses, they often recover more than enough to cover their fee. Ask your restoration company if they work regularly with public adjusters in your area.

For more on how to approach property insurance documentation, the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program’s guidance on documenting losses offers a useful framework that applies to fire claims as well.

What Happens During Fire Damage Restoration?

Once your property is secured and your claim is open, professional fire damage restoration follows a structured process:

Damage assessment and moisture mapping: Fire suppression water creates secondary water damage. Restoration crews use thermal imaging and moisture meters to find wet materials that need to be dried before reconstruction begins.
Content removal and pack-out: Salvageable items are inventoried and removed for off-site cleaning and storage.
Structural drying: LGR dehumidifiers and air movers run for 3-5 days on average, depending on the extent of water intrusion.
Soot and smoke cleaning: HEPA vacuuming, dry-chemical sponging, and wet cleaning of hard surfaces. Porous materials like drywall and insulation that can’t be cleaned are removed.
Odor neutralization: Thermal fogging and hydroxyl generators break down smoke odor compounds at the molecular level. Ozone treatment is used in unoccupied spaces. Smoke damage restoration often takes longer than the structural repairs because odor is the hardest thing to fully eliminate.
Reconstruction: Once the structure is clean, dry, and odor-free, rebuilding begins.

The full timeline from fire to move-in varies widely: a contained kitchen fire might take 4-6 weeks; a whole-house fire can take 6-12 months. Your restoration company should give you a written timeline and update it as the scope evolves.

If you’re trying to understand what this process will cost, our fire damage restoration cost guide breaks down typical price ranges for Utah homeowners.

When you’re ready to talk through next steps, Home Pride Restoration and Cleaning is available around the clock. Call (801) 995-2437 to schedule an emergency assessment or get a written scope of damage for your insurance claim.

About Home Pride Restoration and Cleaning

Home Pride Restoration and Cleaning is an IICRC-certified restoration company serving Saratoga Springs, Lehi, Eagle Mountain, Provo, and communities across Utah County since 1997 (license RC-25-0737). Their crews handle fire, smoke, water, and mold losses for residential and commercial properties, and work directly with homeowners and their insurance adjusters to document damage and manage the full restoration process.