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Fire & Smoke Damage

What to expect from the effects of fire and smoke damage.

  • Direct fire and heat damage to building and contents occurs at the origin of the fire and spreads to other areas if not extinguished.
  • Fire can spread rapidly depending upon the combustible nature of materials in the fire area. 
  • During a fire smoke is driven by heat created by flames.
  • Smoke may move throughout a building. 
  • Smoke also combines with humidity and will settle on surfaces and can form corrosive residues.
  • Sometimes direct fire damage is limited to a very small area like a pot on the stove that burned dry. A strong odour could result from this occurrence because smoke residue is on contents and surfaces.

If you have had a fire or smoke damage loss you should know: 

  • Oil from your hands can permeate upholstery, walls and woodwork, causing additional damage.
  • Quick response to remove the smoke residue from surfaces prone to the corrosive chemical burning of smoke residue is critical. 
  • Cleaning and removing smoke is best achieved by a trained and experienced restoration contractor. 
  • The nature of the cleaning and restoration process depends on the source, nature and size of the fire.
  • Most smoke damaged contents and clothing affected by smoke can be cleaned successfully, depending upon the extent of heat and spread of the fire.
  • Cleaning contents is evaluated based on the likelihood of successfully cleaning contents and the cost to restore versus the actual value of contents. 

What to expect when you report a claim: 

  • Contact your broker as soon as possible after the incident occurs. Your broker will forward your claim to Gore Mutual and your claim will be assigned to one of our claims representatives.
  • Our claims representative will contact you, obtain the details of your loss and provide assistance with emergency services, repairs and replacement of damaged property, and any other advice you may require.
  • Our claims representative needs to document the cause and origin of the fire. The claims representative will talk to you about the circumstances, and speak to the fire department.
  • Sometimes the cause and origin is easily determined; other times experts will be called in to help determine the cause and origin of the fire.
  • A claims representative will meet you at your home to inspect the damages and coordinate necessary emergency services with a restoration contractor.
  • Emergency services may include securing the building, and or spot cleaning fixtures to prevent damage from corrosive soot residue.
  • Other services may include inspections of HVAC systems and restoring power to use lighting and restoration equipment.
  • The restoration contractor will explain what emergency services they will do, what you should and should not do, and ask you to sign an Authorization Form before work can begin.
  • Some fires require that your contents and furnishings be inventoried, packed and transported to a secure facility for cleaning and storage until your home is repaired. At this time you will be asked to remove valuables from your home.
  • The claims representative and restoration contractor will assist you with sorting out the contents that can be cleaned and restored and packed for removal versus contents that cannot be cleaned and restored.
  • If the damage from the fire makes your home unfit for occupancy your insurance policy provides coverage for the necessary additional living costs at a temporary location while your home is being repaired. Sometimes it is a matter of being out of your home for several days for limited repairs to your home, while extensive repairs may take weeks or months.  The claims representative will provide immediate financial assistance to help pay for these costs.
  • An adjuster and a restoration contractor will carefully inspect the building damage in order to develop a repair estimate for restoring your home back to pre loss condition. 
  • Our field claims representative will obtain an agreed repair price for the restoration of your home by a contractor. 
    The repair estimate will be reviewed with you in detail. 
  • Ultimately it is your home, and only you can authorize the repairs to be completed by a restoration contractor of your choice.
  • Sometimes contents can be successfully restored to the condition prior to the loss occurring, and sometimes contents cannot be restored. The Adjuster will work with you in completing a list of damaged contents and help you determine the current replacement values.
  • Contents that were removed from your home for cleaning and restoration will be returned to your home when you move back.  You can get access to your belongings in storage if needed by scheduling a time with the restoration contractor's representative to meet with you and provide access to the items you would like to inspect.  
  • Once all the details about the repairs to your dwelling and contents are obtained our claims representative will contact you to discuss the claims settlement process.     

 

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