Wildfires can leave homeowners facing far more than visible property damage. Families may be displaced, important records may be inaccessible, and the full extent of smoke, water and structural damage may not be immediately clear.
With active wildfires affecting communities across Eastern Washington, now is an important time for homeowners throughout the state to understand what to do after a fire and how to protect their insurance claims.
Personal safety should always come first. Do not return to an evacuated property until local officials have confirmed that it is safe. Once immediate safety and housing needs have been addressed, the following steps can help homeowners begin the insurance process and preserve important information.
Follow Official Evacuation and Safety Instructions
Wildfire conditions and evacuation levels can change quickly. Homeowners should rely on local emergency-management agencies for current information rather than unofficial maps or social-media reports.
For residents affected by the current Spokane-area fires, Spokane County Emergency Management provides evacuation information, emergency alerts and local resources.
Additional statewide wildfire information is available through:
- Washington Emergency Management Division
- Washington State Department of Natural Resources
- After the Fire Washington
Even after an evacuation order has been lifted, damaged buildings, unstable trees, electrical hazards, hot spots, smoke and contaminated debris may remain dangerous. Do not enter a structure that appears unsafe.
Notify Your Insurance Company
Homeowners do not need to know the full extent or value of their losses before reporting a claim.
When contacting the insurance company:
- Ask for the claim number.
- Record the name and contact information of the assigned adjuster.
- Request a complete copy of the policy, including endorsements.
- Ask what immediate expenses may be covered.
- Ask whether an advance payment is available.
- Confirm what documentation the insurance company requires.
- Follow up important telephone conversations in writing.
Keep a claim journal documenting every telephone call, email, inspection, request and payment. Include the date, the people involved and a brief summary of what was discussed.
The Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner provides information and assistance to Washington insurance consumers. The agency has also issued an emergency order providing certain temporary protections for policyholders affected by the current wildfires.
Homeowners can review the agency’s current announcements and wildfire resources on the Office of the Insurance Commissioner news page.
Request a Complete Copy of the Insurance Policy
The policy declaration page provides only a summary of coverage. Homeowners should request the complete policy, including all forms, exclusions, amendments and endorsements that were in effect on the date of the fire.
Potentially relevant coverage may include:
- The home or dwelling
- Detached structures
- Personal belongings
- Additional living expenses
- Debris removal
- Trees, plants and landscaping
- Building-code or ordinance upgrades
- Smoke and soot remediation
- Emergency repairs
- Replacement-cost benefits
The existence and amount of each coverage depend on the individual policy. Homeowners should not assume that a verbal explanation from an adjuster includes every available benefit.
Document the Property Before Cleaning or Removing Items
When authorities determine that it is safe to return, document the property before beginning cleanup whenever possible.
Take photographs and videos of:
- Every damaged room
- The exterior of the property
- Garages, sheds and other structures
- Furniture and personal belongings
- Appliances and electronics
- Vehicles
- Landscaping
- Smoke, soot and ash
- Water or chemical damage caused by firefighting efforts
- Damaged building materials
- Debris that may need to be removed
Take wide photographs that show the overall condition of each space as well as close-up photographs of individual damage.
Do not enter an unsafe structure to take photographs. Personal safety is more important than claim documentation.
Before discarding damaged belongings, ask the adjuster whether the insurance company needs to inspect them. When something must be removed for health or safety reasons, photograph it first and keep a written record of what was discarded and why.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency also recommends documenting damage, creating an inventory and contacting the insurance company after a wildfire. Additional recovery guidance is available through Ready.gov’s wildfire resource center.
Begin a Personal Property Inventory
A complete inventory of lost or damaged belongings can take time. Homeowners do not necessarily need to recreate everything in one sitting.
Work room by room and include as much of the following information as possible:
- A description of the item
- Brand or manufacturer
- Model number
- Approximate age
- Original purchase price
- Estimated replacement cost
- Where it was purchased
- Available photographs or receipts
Old photographs and videos may help homeowners remember what was in each room. Online shopping accounts, email receipts, credit-card statements, gift registries and warranty records can also help document purchases.
Ask the adjuster whether the inventory can be updated as additional items are remembered. Do not sign a statement indicating that an inventory is final unless you understand what that language means and are confident the list is complete.
Keep Records of Temporary Living Expenses
Many homeowners policies provide some form of additional living expense coverage when a covered loss makes the home temporarily uninhabitable. This coverage is sometimes called ALE or loss-of-use coverage.
Depending on the policy, it may help pay for the reasonable increase in living expenses caused by displacement.
Save receipts and records for expenses such as:
- Hotels
- Short-term rentals
- Rental application fees
- Security deposits
- Increased meal expenses
- Laundry
- Parking
- Additional transportation
- Pet boarding
- Furniture or household-item rentals
- Storage
- Utility setup fees
- Other necessary displacement-related costs
Additional living expense coverage does not necessarily reimburse every dollar a household spends. It commonly applies to the reasonable increase above normal living expenses and remains subject to policy terms, time periods and coverage limits.
Ask the insurance company to explain in writing:
- Which expenses it will consider
- What documentation is required
- The applicable coverage limit
- Any time restriction
- Whether payments can be issued in advance
- What must happen before the insurer ends the benefit
Be Careful With Emergency Repair Work
Homeowners are generally expected to take reasonable steps to prevent additional damage when it is safe to do so. This could include temporarily covering an opening, removing standing water or arranging for emergency stabilization.
Do not make permanent repairs or allow extensive demolition before the damage has been documented and the insurance company has had a reasonable opportunity to inspect it, unless the work is necessary to address an immediate health or safety hazard.
Before hiring a contractor:
- Confirm that the contractor is properly licensed and insured.
- Obtain a written description of the proposed work.
- Understand whether the work is temporary or permanent.
- Ask how emergency charges are calculated.
- Avoid signing documents you do not understand.
- Be cautious about assigning insurance benefits or claim rights.
- Keep copies of every contract, estimate, invoice and authorization.
Washington residents can verify contractor registration through the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.
Review Insurance Estimates Carefully
An insurance company’s estimate is not necessarily the same as the actual cost of repairing or rebuilding a home.
Review the estimate for:
- Missing rooms or structures
- Incorrect measurements
- Omitted materials
- Insufficient labor rates
- Debris-removal costs
- Smoke and soot remediation
- Water damage
- Electrical, plumbing or mechanical work
- Required permits
- Building-code upgrades
- Contractor overhead and profit
- Current local material and labor prices
Ask the adjuster to explain how the insurer calculated its estimate and payment. When a contractor’s estimate is higher, ask both the contractor and the adjuster to identify the specific differences.
A disagreement between estimates does not automatically mean the insurer has acted improperly. It may, however, require additional documentation, inspections or negotiation.
Understand Actual Cash Value and Replacement Cost
Some policies initially pay the actual cash value of damaged property and release additional replacement-cost benefits after repairs or replacement occur.
These terms are not interchangeable.
Actual cash value generally accounts for depreciation based on factors such as an item’s age and condition.
Replacement cost generally refers to the cost of repairing or replacing covered property with materials or items of similar kind and quality, subject to the policy’s terms and limits.
Ask the insurance company to identify:
- The replacement-cost estimate
- The amount deducted for depreciation
- Whether the depreciation is recoverable
- What must be submitted to recover it
- The deadline for completing repairs or replacement
Homeowners should also understand that being underinsured is different from having a claim underpaid. A home may cost more to rebuild than the available policy limit even when the insurer pays the full amount of coverage purchased.
Ask for Important Decisions in Writing
If the insurance company denies coverage, limits a payment or refuses to include part of the loss, ask for a written explanation.
The explanation should identify:
- What is being denied or limited
- The facts the insurer relied upon
- The policy language supporting the decision
- What additional information may change the decision
- Whether there is a process for reconsideration
Keep copies of all letters, estimates, payment explanations and claim documents. Do not rely solely on telephone conversations when an important coverage decision is involved.
Warning Signs That a Claim May Need Additional Review
Wildfire claims can take time, especially when large numbers of homes are affected. A delay or disagreement does not automatically mean an insurance company has acted in bad faith.
Homeowners may want to seek additional guidance when:
- The insurer does not clearly explain its decisions.
- Significant portions of the damage are omitted from the estimate.
- The claim remains inactive without a reasonable explanation.
- The insurer repeatedly requests information that has already been provided.
- Payments do not match the insurer’s own written estimate.
- Necessary temporary living expenses are denied or ended without explanation.
- The insurer refuses to consider contractor estimates or supporting documentation.
- Coverage is denied without identifying the supporting policy language.
- The homeowner is pressured to accept a payment before the full loss is understood.
- The insurance company’s position changes without explanation.
The Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner accepts consumer complaints and may ask an insurer to explain how it handled a claim. Information about the complaint process is available through the agency’s consumer complaint page.
The Office of the Insurance Commissioner does not determine the value of a claim or act as a homeowner’s attorney. Homeowners involved in a significant coverage or payment dispute may also choose to speak with a lawyer about their options.
Take the Claim One Step at a Time
Recovering from a wildfire is a long process. Homeowners should not feel pressured to calculate every loss, make every repair decision or complete every insurance form immediately.
The most important early steps are to stay safe, report the claim, preserve available evidence, keep records and ask questions when something is unclear.
Bastion Law represents Washington homeowners in disputes with insurance companies, including claims involving unreasonable delays, denials and underpayment. Speaking with an attorney does not necessarily mean filing a lawsuit. It can help a homeowner understand the policy, evaluate the insurer’s position and decide what to do next.
Questions about how your wildfire insurance claim is being handled? Contact Bastion Law to request a claim review.