What to do after a fire

Safety first

Do not go back inside until the fire department says the home is safe — even if the damage looks minor. Fire weakens the structure, and smoke, soot, and water leave dangers you can't see. Leave the gas and electricity off until a professional says otherwise, and get medical attention for anyone who needs it — even someone who "only" breathed smoke.

If you can't stay at home tonight, start with family or friends — and know that the Red Cross helps families displaced by residential fires. Wherever you stay, keep the receipt for everything from day one: hotel, food, clothes, all of it. Those receipts are money in your claim.

Before you commit to anyone: who's who

This is the most important thing about the first days — and almost nobody tells you in time.

Within hours, two kinds of people will show up. Your insurance company will send an adjuster: their job is to inspect the damage and calculate the loss. They may be very friendly — but they work for the insurance company, not for you. And contractors and cleanup companies will start knocking on your door — polite, urgent, promising everything: "don't worry, insurance pays for all of it." Some are honest. Others count on the chaos of these exact days to get a signature before you understand what it means — it's one of the most common frauds against families after a disaster.

The key: you don't have to decide today, and you don't have to sign anything on the spot. Not with whoever showed up first, and not with whoever promises the most. Before letting anyone into your claim or your home, it's worth understanding your options — who works for you, who works for the insurer, and what you actually need. There's more than one road, and the right one depends on what YOU want: keeping control and having the money come to you, or having someone take care of everything. Neither one is "correct" for everybody.

The most expensive mistakes are made right here, at the beginning, out of rush. Going slow costs you nothing. Committing to the wrong person can cost you a lot. Fire can help you understand who's who and what fits your situation — without recommending anyone in particular, and without any pressure.

Don't touch anything — photos first

You'll want to start cleaning up. Don't — not yet. Before anything is moved or thrown away, take photos and video of every room, from several angles: closets, drawers, every damaged thing. That record of what the fire actually did is your protection if anyone ever questions your losses. In the claim, what isn't in a photo doesn't exist.

And don't clean smoke or soot yourself: depending on the type of fire, cleaning it with the wrong method sets it in permanently and makes things worse. That said, your policy does expect you to keep the damage from growing — boarding up doors and windows, shutting off the water. Keep the receipt for each of those expenses too. Photos first, then protect — and throw nothing away until your insurer has seen it.

The call to your insurance company

Report the claim as soon as you can — the claims number is on your policy or the company's website. If someone in the family handles this better, put them on the call with you. But make the call early: the legal clock on the insurer's deadlines generally starts when they receive notice.

When you call, ask for three things: the date the adjuster will come see the house, an advance on your claim for urgent needs, and ALE — living expenses — if you can't stay in the home. The advance is an early payment against your own claim, for clothes, basics, deposits. It isn't extra money: it's part of your same claim, paid sooner. Ask for it directly: "I'd like to request an advance on my claim."

Write down your claim number and the name of every person you talk to, with the date. From here on, a simple notebook with every call and every email will save you a world of headaches.

ALE — the cost of living away from home

ALE ("additional living expenses") is the part of almost every homeowner policy that helps pay the extra cost of living somewhere else: the hotel or the rent, and food beyond what you normally spend. It covers what goes above your normal costs — not everything.

Ask your insurer how they'll handle ALE — whether they pay up front, reimburse you, or arrange housing — and keep every receipt: lodging, meals, laundry. ALE gets paid with receipts in hand.

Be very careful what you sign

In the days after the fire, a lot of people will show up with paperwork — contractors, cleanup companies, all kinds. Some are serious; even so, the paper is what rules. Before signing anything, understand what it is. An "assignment of benefits" (AOB) or an "authorization" can give a company rights over your claim — and from that point on, the insurer talks to them, not to you. You can lose control of your own claim. No one can require you to sign an assignment to repair your home — anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to you.

And two red flags that never miss: anyone who says "we'll eat your deductible" (that's fraud, plain and simple), and anyone rushing you to sign "today, because tomorrow it's gone." You have the right to take your time. Get everything in writing, read it — or have someone you trust read it — and remember: you choose who works on your home. Nobody knocking on your door decides that for you.

The house and your things: two claims in one

Your policy normally handles this as two separate coverages, with separate processes. The structure is the building: walls, roof, built-in systems. The contents are your things: furniture, clothes, everything inside.

The contents side depends on an inventory: the list of what was damaged or lost, room by room. Starting it early matters — while memory is fresh and before anything gets moved. Your photos and video from step 3 are the foundation. This is where many families lose money without realizing it: what doesn't get written down doesn't get paid.

The adjuster's visit

The adjuster is the person the insurance company sends to inspect the damage and calculate the loss — and as we saw in step 2, they work for the insurance company. That doesn't make them your enemy, but it does mean they look after the company's interests, not yours. Try to be there that day — and if it helps, have someone you trust with you. Walk them through everything: every room, every damaged item you can show them, and share your photos, videos, and your inventory.

Before they leave, ask when you'll get their report or estimate, and how to reach them if you have questions.

Your rights and the deadlines (Texas)

Texas law protects policyholders. If you paid your policy, those rights are yours. The Texas Insurance Code — including Chapter 542, the prompt-payment one — puts real deadlines on insurers to acknowledge, investigate, and pay claims, with penalty interest if they blow past them without a valid reason. Many policies also include an appraisal option: a process for resolving disagreements about what the loss is worth.

The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) is the state regulator. It publishes consumer help and takes complaints at tdi.texas.gov. This is general information, not legal advice; for your specific case, consider talking to a licensed professional.

Who can help with your claim

The adjuster the insurance company sends works for the insurance company. You have the right to bring in help that works for you — and which kind fits depends on what you want to do:

• Handle it yourself — you keep 100% and full control, but the photos, the inventory, and the negotiation are all on you.
• A public adjuster — licensed by TDI to represent policyholders: they document, prepare, and negotiate the claim for you, and the money comes to you. Their fee comes out of your payment — Texas law caps it at 10% (Insurance Code, Chapter 4102), with a written contract and 72 hours to cancel if you change your mind. A good option if you want control and expert help at the same time.
• A company that takes care of everything — can do the repairs and deal with the insurer, useful if you'd rather not be involved; but it usually means signing over rights to your claim, so you trade control for convenience.
• An attorney — for disputes, denials, and deadlines.

Hiring any of them is always your decision. Take your time, verify the license at tdi.texas.gov — anyone can say they're licensed; there you can check it in two minutes — and get every fee in writing. Fire Claims Recovery informs and connects — it doesn't recommend specific professionals.

The mistakes that cost real money

They're always the same ones: throwing things away before photographing them. Cleaning smoke or soot yourself. Signing with the first company that reached your door, before understanding your options. Letting deadlines slip — the ones in your policy and the ones in your insurer's letters. Not keeping receipts. And accepting the first number they offer without understanding what it covers — and what it leaves out.

None of these is the end of the world on its own — but each one can cost real money or make your claim harder to defend. Going slow is fine. Understanding before you choose, and photographing and writing everything down, is what counts.