What to Do in the First 24 Hours After a House Fire

1. Don't go back inside until cleared

Even after flames are out, structural integrity, smoke, and toxic residue make returning unsafe. Wait for the fire department's all-clear, and don't shut off utilities yourself - let the responders do it.

2. Call your insurance carrier

Open the claim within the first 24 hours. Your carrier will assign an adjuster and authorize emergency mitigation - board-up, tarping, water extraction, and securing contents.

3. Get the property secured

Unsecured fire-damaged properties invite weather, theft, and vandalism - all of which can hurt your claim. A 24/7 restoration company can board windows and tarp roof breaches the same day.

4. Document everything

Photo every room, every damaged item. Save receipts for hotel, food, and clothing - these are usually reimbursable as Additional Living Expenses (ALE) under your policy.

5. Don't try to clean soot yourself

Soot is acidic and gets driven deeper into surfaces by improper cleaning. Wiping smoke residue with a rag often causes more damage than the smoke alone. Wait for professionals.

6. Salvage what's safe to salvage

Take essential documents, medications, and irreplaceable items if it's safe to do so. Everything else - clothing, electronics, soft goods - is usually best handled by a contents pack-out.

Understanding Additional Living Expenses (ALE)

Most Wisconsin homeowner policies include an Additional Living Expenses provision. ALE pays for the difference between your normal cost of living and what you spend while displaced - hotels, restaurant meals above your usual grocery bill, gas for longer commutes, pet boarding, and laundromat fees. Keep every receipt, even small ones, and ask your adjuster early for the daily and total caps on your policy.

ALE typically lasts as long as it's reasonable to be out of the home - not indefinitely. If your home will need 8-12 weeks of reconstruction, your carrier may help you transition from a hotel to a furnished short-term rental, which is often cheaper for both sides.

How smoke damage spreads beyond the fire room

Heat builds pressure that pushes smoke through walls, into HVAC ductwork, up stairwells, and into attic spaces. A small kitchen grease fire commonly leaves a fine soot film in upstairs bedrooms hundreds of feet away. Until a professional with HEPA equipment and air-quality monitoring tells you otherwise, assume the entire envelope is contaminated and avoid running the HVAC system.

Working with your fire department's report

Madison Fire Department and most Dane County departments produce an incident report within 1-3 business days. Request a copy as soon as it's available - your insurance carrier will need it, and it's the foundation document for the claim. Note the cause-of-fire determination; if it points to a defective appliance, your carrier may pursue subrogation against the manufacturer (which can affect your deductible).

The bottom line

Fire is chaotic, but the recovery process is sequential and well-understood. Stabilize the structure, document the loss, open the claim, and bring in certified professionals - in that order. Avoid the temptation to clean before documentation and to re-enter before the all-clear. Done right, even a serious fire gets back to a safe, fully restored home - and the insurance process feels manageable rather than adversarial.