What needs to happen first
- Board-up and roof tarping - the policy requires securing the property
- Extraction of firefighting water before it becomes a second loss
- Soot cleanup within days - it's acidic and keeps etching finishes
- Full documentation before anything is moved - your claim depends on it
What happens when you call
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Tell us what happened. 30 seconds - what burned and whether the home is secure.
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You're connected with a local restoration crew while you're on the line.
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The crew confirms timing and your arrival time - board-up comes first if the house is open.
One crew, start to finish
Fire damage is really three losses at once - burn, smoke, and the water used to put it out. Handling them separately means three contractors arguing over one claim.
A restoration crew runs the whole sequence - secure, dry, clean, deodorize, rebuild - and documents each phase for your insurer, who covers fire losses as core homeowner's coverage.
Local to Orange County
Orlando gets Florida's water without the coastline - hurricane bands crossing the state, daily summer downpours, and a high water table with retention ponds working overtime. CBS slab homes hide their plumbing under concrete, A/C condensate lines clog and overflow in the long cooling season, and damp drywall grows mold as fast here as anywhere on the coast.
Florida policies may have a separate hurricane deductible. Whether it applies depends on the storm and the statutory hurricane period. Check your policy. Everyday losses - burst pipes, A/C overflows, water-heater failures - use your standard deductible. Rising water from any direction is flood insurance, even this far inland.
Serving Orlando, Kissimmee, Sanford, Winter Park, Apopka, Altamonte Springs, and all of Orange County.
Fire damage questions
Can we stay in the house?
Depends on smoke spread and structural safety - the crew tells you straight after inspection. If you can't, most policies pay for temporary housing (loss-of-use coverage); ask your adjuster.
Is fire damage covered by insurance?
Typically yes. Fire is a core homeowner's peril, and coverage usually includes smoke damage, water from firefighting, board-up, and rebuilding, subject to your limits and deductible - check your declarations page for those. Ask the contractor about documentation and coordination with your adjuster.
Should I start cleaning up myself?
It's best to wait on soot cleanup. Wiping soot the wrong way can drive it deeper, and moving debris before photos may reduce what your claim can show. Waiting on cleanup doesn't mean delaying safe steps to prevent further damage, like board-up or tarping once it's safe. Photograph first.