What to Do in the First 48 Hours After a House Fire

Updated September 5, 2026

The first days after a fire are spent making decisions while exhausted, and a few of them are hard to undo later. This is the practical order — what to do first, what your insurer owes you straight away, and the small number of things that quietly cost people money if they get them wrong. If you are in the middle of it, the short version is: don't go back in, call your insurer today, take photographs before anything moves, and keep everything.

Do not go back in

Not for documents, not for the safe, not for anything. Structures stay dangerous long after the flames are out — floors and stairs can be compromised in ways that are invisible, and the air inside holds smoke residue and whatever the contents released while burning. Wait until the fire department clears it, and go in with them if you can.

The calls to make today

• Your insurer, or your agent — start the claim, get a claim number, and write it down
• Ask specifically about additional living expenses, which is the coverage for somewhere to stay
• The fire department, for a copy of the incident report, which your insurer will want
• Your utility companies, to shut off gas, power and water if it has not been done
• Your mortgage lender if you have one, because they have an interest in the property and will need to know
• Somewhere to stay tonight — a hotel counts, and is usually reimbursable

Additional living expenses, which people don't know to ask for

Most homeowners and renters policies pay for you to live somewhere else while your home is uninhabitable. Hotels, meals above what you would normally spend, laundry, pet boarding, extra travel to work — these are usually covered, often from the first day, and many insurers will advance money immediately rather than waiting for the claim to settle.

You have to ask, and you have to keep receipts. Every single one, from the first night. People routinely spend thousands in the first two weeks and recover none of it because nobody told them the receipts mattered.

Photograph before anything moves

Once it is safe to be there, photograph everything before any cleanup, removal or repair begins. Wide shots of every room from the doorway, then closer shots of the contents. Include what is unrecognisable — a melted appliance still proves an appliance was there.

This is the mistake that cannot be undone. Well-meaning family and restoration crews clear debris fast, and once it is gone the evidence for that part of the claim is gone with it. If someone starts clearing before you have photographed, ask them to stop.

Throw nothing away

Not even things that are obviously ruined. Damaged property is the evidence for your contents claim, and insurers can and do question items that were disposed of before an adjuster saw them. Keep everything until your insurer confirms in writing that you can dispose of it, and photograph anything that has to go for safety or health reasons before it does.

The contents list

At some point, usually within a few weeks, you will be asked to list what you lost — item by item, with descriptions, approximate ages, and what things cost. This is the hardest part of the process and there is no gentle way to say it: reconstructing the contents of a home from memory is a long, grinding, upsetting job, and most people significantly under-claim because they simply cannot remember everything.

Do it a room at a time, from a floor plan, and give yourself weeks rather than days. Use anything that helps: old photographs and videos with things visible in the background, credit card and bank statements, online order histories, warranty registrations, and the memories of anyone who lived there or visited often. Add to it as things occur to you, because they will, for months.

Things that are easy to miss

• The contents of closets, drawers and the garage, which are worth far more in aggregate than people estimate
• Food, cleaning supplies and everyday consumables, which are usually covered and rarely claimed
• Landscaping, fencing and outbuildings, which often sit under separate policy limits
• Items away from the property at the time, such as a laptop in a car, which may still be covered
• Smoke and water damage in rooms that did not burn, which is frequently the larger share of the loss

Documents you will need to replace

Birth certificates, passports, driver's licenses, social security cards, titles and deeds. Each has its own replacement process and they take time, so start early. Your insurer, your bank and your employer can usually help reconstruct financial records, and a bank statement history is often the fastest route to reconstructing what you owned.

Where to get help that isn't from your insurer

The American Red Cross provides immediate assistance after residential fires — somewhere to stay, food, and help with the first steps — and does not charge for it. Local charities and faith organisations often do the same. If your claim becomes difficult, public adjusters work for you rather than the insurer for a percentage of the settlement, and every state has an insurance regulator that accepts complaints. You are not obliged to accept the first offer.

Afterwards

The one thing worth knowing, once the immediate crisis passes, is that the contents list is easier when it is written before the fire rather than after. That is the entire reason home inventories exist, and it is the difference between an afternoon of copying a record and weeks of reconstruction from memory.

Stowly is a free home inventory for exactly that — photos, values and purchase dates for what you own, stored somewhere that survives the house; an itemised export for an adjuster comes with Plus. If you are in the middle of a fire claim right now, it will not help you today, and this page is not the moment to think about it. But when you rebuild, it is worth an afternoon.

A note on this guide

This is general information about a process that varies by policy and by state. Your own policy documents, your agent, and the professionals helping you are the authority on your situation.