Fire damage restoration guidesfor the days and weeks after a fire

Right after a fire, read the first-steps guide, which includes what to do if the house has no heat. If you are back home and the smell keeps returning, the odor guide explains where it hides. If plaster ceilings show black lines, read the soot guide. The safety guide covers whether you can stay, and the insurance guide covers the adjuster and the proof-of-loss form.

Each guide ends with the details worth mentioning when you call. For quick answers, the questions and answers page collects them in one place, and the fire restoration services pages explain how each kind of work is done. Sources are listed at the end of every guide.

The guides are general information. They do not replace the Minneapolis Fire Department, a licensed electrician or heating contractor, or your insurer, who make the formal decisions about safety and coverage.

We review them when the underlying sources change.