If you have ever had a fire in your home, hopefully it was not so large that it could not be put out with a fire extinguisher. Even if was able to be contained by using your home fire extinguisher, it can still leave a terrible mess to be cleaned up. A fire extinguisher will cover everything in the immediate area and beyond the fire with the white residue that it leaves behind. You still might consider this minor damage a blessing because if the fire department has to be called in to use water hoses to extinguish the flames, the damage can be worse than just white residue and some burned surfaces.

Of course, the most important thing in the event of a fire in the home that is too large to be put out with an extinguisher is the safety of you and your family. Once you see the fire department must be called, get everyone out as quickly and safely as possible. When the fire department arrives, stay back out of their way and let them do their job. Your panicked reactions and attempts at helping are more likely to hinder their efforts.

Once the fire is out, do not attempt to go inside until you have contacted your insurance agent and your home is deemed safe to venture into. Fire damaged areas, even small ones, can be unstable and as dangerous as the fire itself. When you are allowed to go in and access the damage yourself, do not be surprised when you find that much of the home is wet. Even in areas that the fire did not affect, there could be damage from the water of the hoses that were used to put out the flames.

The majority of people affected by fire will have insurance that will cover the damage. The insurance should also cover other areas of the home and items that were affected by the water as well. The insurance company will likely be the ones to send out someone to determine the overall damage to the home and what needs to be done to fix it or they might leave this up to you. Insurance companies might differ in the area of repair.

If you are left to hire someone to repair your home after a fire and or flooding of any kind, make sure they are licensed and insured. Check their record to make sure they are well experienced in all areas of clean up and repair including mold remediation. Mold can often result after a home has been inundated with water and it must be removed with as much care and experience as everything else.