4 Essential Steps to Take After a Fire in Newport Beach

8/13/2018 (Permalink)

A fire in the home is devastating and it becomes personal. Whether accidental or not, there’s a lot that will go through your mind right now. One of those may be calling for Newport Beach fire cleanup services. This is a great thought but it’s not all that should be on your mind. Take out the emotions for now and work on these four essential steps after a fire.

Put Safety Before the Home

Don’t worry about the home right now. It’s going to be hard, but try to take the emotions out of everything that is lost. What you really want to focus on is the family. Make sure everyone who was in the house is out and that everyone is safe. Get medical attention, even if it seems like there are no injuries, smoke inhalation is serious.

Of course, you want to deal with the house as well and this is where trusted fire cleanup services in Newport Beach come into play. They can take the emotions out of the cleanup, so will get to work while you’re looking after your family.

Get Damage Inspected

Before anyone can go into the property, firefighters will need to inspect it. Once a fire is put out, there’s a lot of excess damage, including water and smoke damage. Parts of the home may be too unstable to go into. You’ll need someone to help get all those important documents that were hopefully in a fireproof safe, such as birth certificates, passports, insurance documents, etc.

You’ll also need to get in touch with your insurance provider. This is something worth doing immediately before hiring any Newport Beach fire cleanup services. The insurance company may have certainly services they’ll pay out for and you need to make sure you get the right ones!

Contact Friends and Family

Even if it’s just one room, your home can’t be lived in for a while. That means relying on others for some help and support. There’s nothing wrong with asking friends and family if you can stay on the couch or in the guest room for a short time. You won’t want to impose, so rally a few that you can stay with for short bursts at a time while your home is restored.

If you can’t stay, at least ask them for some help. How about babysitting so you can work with the restoration companies to find anything salvageable? Or help going through documents and items to save as much as possible?

Document Everything Damaged

Once you get permission to go back in, you’ll need to document everything that’s been damaged for the insurance company. This is something that the fire cleanup services in Newport Beach can help do. They’ll be able to get photos of everything, create lists of all items that must be removed, and help you determine whether there’s a chance of saving others.

It’s important to take emotion out of a fire, as hard as that is. Make sure your family is safe and then get to work on restoration.