After a fire: what needs attention
- Charred or heat-damaged framing, roofing, siding, or windows
- Smoke and soot residue on walls, ceilings, and contents, even in untouched rooms
- Persistent smoke odor embedded in drywall, insulation, and HVAC ductwork
- Standing water or saturated materials from firefighting efforts
- A lightning strike point, scorched roofing, tripped systems, or damaged wiring
- Openings in the roof or walls that need board-up before the next rain
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Costs & what insurance covers
Typical insured project value
$5,000–$80,000
What the covered repair costs / what insurance funds, not your out-of-pocket.
Your real cost on a covered claim
$500–$2,500
Usually just your deductible (flat), or 1%–5% of dwelling coverage for a separate wind/hail deductible.
Typical timeline: Emergency board-up and site security same day; smoke and soot mitigation starts within days; cleanup and odor remediation run about 1–4 weeks, and structural rebuild ranges from a few weeks to several months on larger losses.
Before anything else
Do not re-enter a fire-damaged structure until the fire department clears it, floors, roofs, and framing can be compromised even where they look intact, and soot exposure is a health hazard. Once it's cleared, board-up and site security are the first restoration step, and your policy expects prompt mitigation.
Why a fire loss is three losses in one
A structure fire produces burn damage where the fire was, smoke and soot damage everywhere air traveled (soot is acidic and keeps etching finishes and electronics until it's professionally removed), and water damage from firefighting. Restoration that treats only the burn area fails: odor returns through untreated ductwork and cavities, and firefighting water left in walls becomes a mold problem. That's why a proper scope covers mitigation, cleaning, odor remediation, drying, and rebuild as one project.
Storm-related fires follow the same pattern. A lightning strike can ignite attic fires, split roofing at the strike point, and surge the home's electrical system, all of it part of one covered lightning loss when it's documented together.
What insurance typically covers
Fire is the original covered peril, every standard HO-3 homeowners policy covers fire and lightning, including smoke and soot cleanup, water damage from firefighting, and debris removal. If the home is unlivable during restoration, your policy's Additional Living Expense coverage (Coverage D) pays for temporary housing and the extra cost of living elsewhere.
Your real cost is usually the deductible
Fire and lightning are covered perils on every standard policy, so the carrier funds the approved restoration scope and you pay your deductible, commonly $500–$2,500. Typical insured project value runs $5,000–$80,000 depending on how far smoke and water traveled, and if the home is unlivable during the work, Additional Living Expense coverage pays for temporary housing.
Two things protect your recovery. Contents and ALE: your personal property (Coverage C) and temporary-housing costs (Coverage D) are separate buckets on top of the dwelling repair, claim all three. Documentation before cleanup: photograph every room, including ones that look fine, before anything is cleaned or discarded; smoke damage that isn't documented has a way of leaving the estimate. Our claim filing guide walks the sequence.
How we vet the pro you talk to
Call and you're routed to a local, licensed restoration pro with 24/7 emergency dispatch who handles the full sequence: board-up and site security, smoke/soot and odor remediation, structural drying from firefighting water, then the rebuild, documented as one covered loss with a scope your adjuster can approve. One vetted pro, never resold.
What fire restoration includes
The typical scope of a covered fire and smoke project:
- Emergency board-up, roof tarping, and site security
- Smoke, soot, and odor remediation (HEPA filtration, ozone/hydroxyl treatment)
- Water extraction and structural drying from firefighting efforts
- Structural repair through full rebuild, documented for the claim
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Fire & smoke damage restoration FAQ
Does homeowners insurance cover fire damage?
Yes, fire and lightning are covered perils on every standard homeowners policy (HO-3), including the resulting smoke, soot, and firefighting-water damage, debris removal, and Additional Living Expenses if you can't live at home during restoration. Your out-of-pocket for a covered fire claim is your deductible.
Is smoke damage covered if the fire was small or next door?
Generally yes. Smoke and soot damage from a covered fire is part of the loss even where nothing burned, and smoke damage from a neighboring fire is typically covered under your own policy. Document every affected room before cleaning; soot travels much farther than the burn area.
Does insurance cover a lightning strike?
Yes, lightning is covered on standard policies, including fire it starts, damage at the strike point, and, on most policies, damage to the home's electrical system. Surge damage to electronics may have limits or fall under a separate provision, check your policy and document everything that stopped working after the strike.
What should I do first after a fire?
Once the fire department clears the structure: get emergency board-up and site security, notify your carrier promptly, and photograph everything before any cleanup or disposal. Don't run the HVAC (it spreads soot), and don't attempt soot cleaning with household products, improper cleaning can set stains permanently.
How long does fire restoration take?
Board-up is same-day; smoke, soot, and odor remediation typically runs one to four weeks; and structural rebuild ranges from a few weeks to several months on larger losses, permitting and scope drive the timeline. Your pro's documented scope and your adjuster's approval set the schedule.
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