House fires are damaging and devastating. But before you immediately go back to your home after the fire, you should take your safety into account first. Here are the dos and don’ts you would do well to remember.
- Do contact your insurance company first.
If you have home insurance, the first thing you should do is contact them and tell them what happened. You would want to know what their instructions are when it comes to filing a claim. Your insurance company will require you to send proof of the damage and that involves taking photos of your home. You can also take videos as soon as the house is safe enough to go back in.
- Don’t go back to the house unless you are cleared to do so.
The authorities will have to inspect the safety of the house. You don’t want the ceiling collapsing on you if its integrity has been compromised. You would want to check with your local fire department to find out if it’s safe to enter.
Don’t use your water or electricity yet. Make sure you steer clear from the areas that are heavily burnt as they could still be emitting toxic gasses that you could inhale.
- Do get rid of food and drink that were exposed to the fire.
Even if they are in your fridge, they could still be contaminated. Don’t consume them but throw them out instead. They could contain carcinogenic substances that you don’t want to be exposed to.
- Find things you can still save.
If you have clothes, curtains, furniture, and appliances that can still be saved, take them out and test them. The clothes and curtains should be sent to professional cleaners so they can see if they can still be saved. If you have home insulation that might have gotten on them, the fiberglass could make your clothes feel itchy and they could be unsafe to wear.
- Find an expert in restoration in Kelowna.
Take stock of the damages to your home and communicate with your home insurance company. After that, you should look for experts in restoration in Kelowna to inspect your home and determine what needs to be done to restore the place.
Look for an expert in restoration in Kelowna such as Total Restoration. The sooner you can get the help of professionals, the less damage your home will be exposed to.
Talk to the restoration experts about what you want. Be clear about your needs and preferences so that it will be done properly and to your specifications. You also would want to ensure that the home’s initial issues that prompted the fire are fixed so that it will not happen again.
Tom Johnson is the author of this article. For more details about Flood damage restoration in Kelowna please visit our website: totalrestoration.ca/Kelowna