What should I do first after a house fire?
Go back in only when the fire department says it's safe. Then keep weather out, photograph everything before anything is cleaned or thrown away, and keep the heating and air system off so soot isn't pushed through the ducts.
The first 24 hours after a fire
- Wait for the all-clear. Don't re-enter until the fire department says the structure is safe. If you smell gas, leave and call 911.
- Keep the weather out. Broken windows, doors and roof openings need boarding or tarping right away. In an Oregon winter, rain through a fire-damaged roof quickly adds water damage to the fire damage. Your insurer expects you to protect the property from further damage and keep receipts (Oregon DFR).
- Leave the HVAC off. Running the furnace or air conditioning can spread soot through ducts into rooms the fire never reached.
- Don't scrub soot. Wiping walls, carpet or upholstery can smear residue deeper. Let the crew test surfaces and choose the cleaning method.
- Document everything. Photograph every room, including closets and contents, before anything is cleaned or discarded. Start a list of damaged items.
- Throw out exposed food. The Red Cross says to discard food exposed to heat, smoke, fumes or chemicals (Red Cross).
What fire and smoke restoration includes
Fire damage is really three problems at once: the burned materials, the water used to put the fire out, and the smoke and soot that traveled everywhere else.
- Board-up and tarping to secure the building and stop rain from getting in.
- Water removal and drying from firefighting, handled like any other water damage job.
- Debris and tear-out of materials that can't be saved.
- Soot and smoke residue cleaning on walls, ceilings, cabinets and hard surfaces, with methods matched to the type of residue.
- Odor removal using methods like thermal fogging or ozone treatment, after the residue that causes the smell has been cleaned.
- Contents cleaning or pack-out for furniture, clothing, electronics and documents.
- Rebuild. Under Oregon law, restoration work like cleaning, water removal and board-up is separate from repair, and repairs need a contractor licensed for them (ORS 701.540).
In 2025 the IICRC published its first consensus standard for this work, ANSI/IICRC S700 (IICRC S700). It's fair to ask a contractor whether their process follows it.
Wildfire smoke and ash in Oregon
Oregon knows what wildfire smoke does to homes that never burned. The 2020 Labor Day fires burned more than 1 million acres and destroyed more than 5,000 homes and businesses (Oregon OEM). The Beachie Creek Fire alone burned 193,556 acres in the Santiam Canyon east of Salem (USFS), and the Riverside Fire burned about 138,700 acres in Clackamas County (USGS BAER). On September 13, 2020, Portland's air quality index hit 477, far beyond the previous record of 157 (Oregon DEQ / LRAPA).
For a home with ash and smoke residue, official guidance is consistent:
- Wear an N95 respirator. Cloth face coverings, paper masks and bandanas don't filter fine ash (Oregon DEQ/OHA).
- Don't use a leaf blower, dry-sweep, or vacuum without a HEPA filter. Mist surfaces with water first, then use a HEPA vacuum (EPA).
- Wipe hard surfaces with a damp cloth, wet-mop floors and run a HEPA air purifier. A cup or two of vinegar in the wash can help with smoke odor in clothes (Oregon DEQ/OHA).
Heavy residue, odor that won't leave, or ash inside the HVAC system is when a professional cleanup pays off. The S700 standard covers building fires, not wildfires; for wildfire smoke, the IICRC, the Restoration Industry Association and the Cleaning Industry Research Institute released a separate technical guide in December 2025 (IICRC).
What fire and smoke restoration costs
| Job | Typical cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fire damage restoration, whole job | $3,083–$52,031 (average $27,477) | Angi |
| Fire restoration per square foot | $4–$7 | Angi |
| Smoke damage remediation | $200–$12,000 (average $3,000) | Angi |
| Smoke cleanup, one room | $200–$1,200 | Angi |
| Soot removal | $2,000–$6,000 | Angi |
| Thermal fogging for odor | $200–$600 | Angi |
National estimates from Angi, 2026. Emergency or weekend work can add 10–15% (Angi).
More detail, including Portland water damage prices, is in the cost guide.
Oregon insurance after a fire
Fire claims are rarer than water claims but much larger: nationally, fire and lightning claims averaged $88,170 from 2019 to 2023, compared with $15,400 for water damage and freezing (Insurance Information Institute). Oregon added protections after the 2020 fires:
- More time to rebuild and more time on living expenses. HB 3272 (2021) gives policyholders at least 12 months to rebuild or replace, extendable to 24. For losses in a declared emergency it's at least 24 months, extendable to 36, plus additional living expenses for a primary home for 24 months, extendable to 36 (HB 3272 (2021)).
- Contents without a full inventory. After a total loss in a governor-declared major disaster, you can request up to 70% of your personal property payout without submitting an inventory (Oregon DFR, HB 2982 (2023)).
- Conflagration fires. For fires under an Emergency Conflagration Act order, SB 82 (2023) gives at least 24 months from the insurer's first payment to rebuild, extendable to 36 (SB 82 (2023)).
And as with any claim, Oregon's homeowners bill of rights says you can use any contractor you choose (Oregon DFR). The Oregon claim guide walks through deadlines step by step.