Aftermath of California Wildfires: Ashes and Insurance Claims

By Thursday, the California fires had destroyed 1,800 homes, injured 57 people and burned a half-million acres, a little more than twice the size of New York City. Homeowners are returning to their neighborhoods to see what remains, and perhaps salvage some memories.

Next comes the nightmare of filing the insurance claims. For a few, the process will be made easier by the home inventory they prepared. Others will have to scramble to list their possessions and document ownership. For most, the records will have burned up in the fire.

Home inventory service professionals across the U.S. are reporting that interest in their services is growing in the wake of this latest natural disaster. With insurance industry sources estimating that fewer than 20% of all homeowners have an updated home inventory, the recovery process for most Californians affected in the wildfires will be long.