What to Do After a House Fire Caused By a Lightning Strike | SERVPRO® of East Mecklenburg/Matthews

5/7/2021 (Permalink)

Any damage to your home is heart-wrenching. If you experience any storm damage, contact SERVPRO of East Mecklenburg/Matthews.

On average, a fire department responds to a house fire in the United States every 93 seconds. The National Weather Service reports that lightning is responsible for starting about 4,400 house fires each year, resulting in an estimated $283 million in damages.

In the instance that a fire does happen to your home because of a thunderstorm, we wanted to share some tips of what to do in the aftermath.

File an Insurance Claim

First things first, contact your insurance company and file a claim. Just like any other unfortunate occurrence that would happen to your home, you need to take photos or videos to share with the insurance company. In a fire instance, this helps the adjusters decide whether to send a restoration vendor or an investigator.

Document Damage

House fires not only damage and demolish things, but the fire is followed by water to put the fire out, meaning that you could be dealing with losses due to both fire and water. You’ll have to make a list of the items that are damaged or completely gone. If you don’t have photographs, look for receipts to prove you actually owned these items.

Secure Your Property

Just because the fire is out, doesn’t mean that it’s safe to stay in your home. If you’re not able to stay in your home, you will need to board up, lock and move things so that nothing more gets vandalized, stolen or destroyed.

Keep Track

If you’re forced to leave your home, you are likely to incur some substantial expenses. Make sure you keep up with everything you are having to purchase. These can range from expenses like accommodations to clothing and food. Get a folder or a binder and keep everything in there so it’s easy to keep up with.

Fire damage caused by a lightning strike will require professional cleanup. We have highly trained fire and water restoration specialists, and we are available ²⁴⁄₇. After everything you have been through, let us do the work for you.