Having a fire break out in your home may be a very traumatic and stressful experience for you and your family. The strain of not only putting life back together and picking up the pieces after an incident of this scale, but also figuring out what to do after that, may be overpowering and confounding.
Despite the fact that this period may be intimidating and appear to be nearly impossible, it is not. The next logical step that will assist you in creating a new life and home is for you to begin picking up the pieces and figuring out what to do next. This will be difficult work.
Find yourself somewhere to stay
After you have, if necessary, obtained the necessary medical attention, you will need to locate a place to remain if you are unable to go back to your own residence. This might be with a member of your own family or it could be at a hotel, but having somewhere that you can return to as a base will provide you with a starting point from which you can take the following steps.
Get in touch with your insurance provider.
They will be able to give you advice on the following steps in the process of helping you to replace any damaged belongings and fix and repairs around the house caused by fire and water damage. You will be able to start moving forward after the preparations have been put into place, and you will also be aware that you are making progress toward returning back home. If you are injured, perhaps with one of these three types of burns, and you think the fire was not your fault, get medical and legal advice.
Check for structural damage
It is highly likely that you will want to inspect your property as soon as it is safe to do so in order to determine which belongings have been spared from the effects of smoke, fire, and water damage. Before you even consider moving back in, it is quite likely that you will need to have a certified professional evaluate the condition of your house as well as the structural soundness of the building. This will provide you with the peace of mind that your home is solid enough to be repaired, which will allow you to move back in.
Make contact with the appropriate authorities and lock down the structure.
Even if the fire department is probably already aware of the blaze at your home, informing the local police department will give your property an additional layer of protection against squatters or persons living on the street. Those who currently do not have a place to call home may be interested in purchasing your home regardless of the state it is in if it is currently vacant. Unwelcome visitors could end up inflicting more damage, which would result in longer periods of time spent repairing things and higher overall costs.
Future prevention
Even though this can sometimes be out of your control, you can examine the ways in which you live your life as well as the most common causes of house fires and devise strategies to reduce the likelihood that something similar will occur in the future. Including but not limited to the installation of smoke alarms and heat sensors, the removal of cell phone chargers that are not being used, and increased vigilance when smoking or preparing food. You may assist reduce the likelihood of anything similar happening again by paying attention to all of the seemingly insignificant details.