After the Fire

. . . We Continue to Serve

After a fire, so many things require attention that the situation may appear overwhelming. There is the loss of property and possessions; there is the damage from heat, smoke, and water (which sometimes can exceed the direct loss by fire); and there is a disruption of lifestyles.

This page has been developed for residents who have suffered loss from fire. It contains information that will help limit further property loss and assist in replacing vital records which may have been lost or damaged.

PROPERTY INSURANCE

The first thing to do after the fire is to contact your insurance company or agent as soon as possible. Your insurance adjuster may be able to help in making immediate repairs or in helping to secure your home. If you are renting or leasing the property, you must also contact the owner. If you cannot reach your agent and need professional assistance in boarding up your home, a general contractor, a fire damage restoration firm, or a fire service firm can help. Check your Yellow Pages under “Fire and Water Damage Restoration.”

Remove as many valuables as possible if you must stay elsewhere. If the Vacaville Fire Department is investigating the fire, an officer will accompany you through the house when you remove valuables. Be sure to inventory the property you remove. Further, you should check for important legal documents which may have been damaged.

If your property is not insured, or if your insurance will not cover all of your losses, contact your attorney or the Internal Revenue Service for directions. You may be eligible for a tax deduction.

IF YOU CANNOT LIVE IN THE HOUSE

This may be your decision or one based on the Building Inspector’s judgment that the residence is unsafe. If you do decide to leave:

1. Contact the local police: They will keep an eye on the property during your absence (449-5200).
2. Temporary Housing: Local relief services like the American Red Cross and Salvation Army should be able to help you with temporary housing. If you are insured under a package homeowner’s or tenant’s policy, a section of your coverage may pay for the extra costs of temporary housing, such as a hotel.
3. Try to locate the following items to take with you:
   • Identification
   • Vital medicines, such as blood pressure regulating drugs, or insulin
   • Valuables, such as credit cards, checkbooks, insurance policies, savings account books, money, jewelry, etc. If you have a safe, do not attempt to open it. A safe involved in a fire may hold intense heat for several hours. If the door is opened before the safe has cooled, the contents may burst into flames.
4. If you have moved:
   • Notify the Post Office of your new address
   • Notify bank(s)
   • Notify utility companies
   • Notify credit card companies
   • Check with your local school district
   • Notify Social Security Administration
5. The local Building Department will be notified if there is structural damage to your home. Before attempting any repairs, check with them for the need of special permits.

UTILITIES

Often, the Fire Department will have utility services shut off or disconnected as a safety precaution and to prevent further damage to the structure and contents.

The utility company will NOT make repairs on the customer’s side of the meter such as house wiring or gas lines. A private contractor will have to make the repairs. Utility companies will not restore your utilities until the repairs are approved by the Building Department.

Do Not Attempt to Reconnect Utilities Yourself!

DOCUMENTS AND RECORDS

Documents are very important to your well-being and can be damaged or destroyed as a result of a fire or other disaster. For this reason, the Vacaville Fire Department has provided a list of documents that should be located if possible. Locating these documents will speed up the process of recovering from a disaster.

CalWORKS and GA clients should notify their case worker if their ID card is damaged or destroyed.

Copies of marriage and divorce records can be obtained from the clerk of the Superior Court in the county of the marriage or divorce. Copies of birth and death certificates can be obtained from the county of the birth or death. If the events took place in Solano County, contact the Solano County Assessor-Recorder located at 600 Texas Street, Fairfield, or call 707 421-6293.

MONEY REPLACEMENT

If your US Savings Bonds have been mutilated or destroyed, write to:

US Treasury
Attention: Bond Consultant
Public Department
200 Third Street
Parkersburg, West Virginia 26101

Include name(s) and address(es) on bonds, along with approximate date or time period when purchased, and denominations and approximate number of each.

If your money (paper) is only half burned or less (if half or more of the bill is intact), check with any local commercial bank, take it to the Federal Reserve Bank, or mail the remainder of the money via First Class Registered mail to:

Department of the Treasury
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
OCS, Room 344, BEPA
PO Box 37048
Washington, DC 20013

Take damaged coins to your personal bank, the Federal Reserve Bank, or mail via First Class Registered Mail to:

US Mint
5th and Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19015

Salvage Methods

Cleaning Walls, Furniture, and Carpeting

1. Vacuum all surfaces.
2. Change and clean air conditioner/heater filters.
3. Seal off the room you are working in with plastic wrap to keep soot from moving from one location to another. Try to keep windows closed.
4. Painted Walls -- To remove soot and smoke from walls, mix together: four to six tablespoons trisodium phosphate (tsp) purchased in hardware or paint stores and one gallon of water. Keep away from children and pets! The use of RUBBER GLOVES and GOGGLES is recommended. Wash small area at a time, working from the floor up. Do ceilings last. Rinse thoroughly. Do not repaint until completely dry. We suggest you use a smoke sealer (purchased in paint stores) before painting.
5. Wallpapered Walls -- Usually, wallpaper cannot be restored. Check with your wallpaper dealer.
6. Furniture -- Do not use chemicals on furniture. An inexpensive product called FLAX SOAP (purchased in hardware and paint stores) is an efficient product to use on wood, including kitchen cabinets. Do not dry furniture in the sun as the wood will warp and twist out of shape.
7. Floors -- Use FLAX SOAP on wood and linoleum floors. It will take four to five applications. Then strip and re-wax. For carpeting -- steam clean, shampoo, and repeat steam cleaning.
8. Mattresses -- Reconditioning inner-spring mattresses at home is very difficult if not impossible. Your mattress can probably be renovated by a company that builds or repairs mattresses. If you must use your mattress temporarily, put it out into the sun to dry, then cover it with plastic sheeting. It is almost impossible to get smoke odor out of pillows. Foam and feathers retain the odor -- replace pillows.
9. Locks and Hinges -- Locks (especially iron locks) should be taken apart, wiped with kerosene, and oiled. If locks cannot be removed, squirt machine oil through a bolt opening or keyhole and work the knob to distribute the oil. Thoroughly clean and oil hinges.

There are many commercial cleaners on the market that will assist you in cleaning. “Grease Relief” by Texize, and others, may be used with success. As with all cleaning agents, test a small area first to see if the cleaning agent will damage the article. Always read the instructions and follow safety instructions when using cleaning agents.

Electrical Appliances

Don’t run wet appliances until you have had a serviceman check them. If the Fire Department turned off your gas or power during the fire, call the electric or gas company to restore these services.

DO NOT TRY TO DO IT YOURSELF.

Cooking Utensils

Wash your pots, pans, flatware, etc. with soapy water, rinse and then polish with a fine-powdered cleaner. Polish copper and brass with special polish, salt sprinkled on a piece of lemon, or salt sprinkled on a cloth saturated in vinegar.

Clothing

Smoke odor and soot can sometimes be washed from clothing. The following formula will often work for clothing that can be bleached:

• 4 - 6 teaspoons trisodium phosphate (tsp)
• 1 cup Lysol or any household chlorine bleach
• 1 gallon warm water

* Mix well -- add clothes, rinse with clean water, then dry well.

To remove mildew, wash the fresh stain with soap and water. Then rinse and dry in the sun. If the stain is not gone, use lemon juice and salt, or a diluted solution of household chlorine bleach.

Test colored garments before using any cleaning treatment!

Take wool, silk, or rayon garments to a dry cleaner as soon as possible.

Leather and Books

Wipe your leather goods with a damp cloth, then with a dry cloth. Stuff your purses and shoes with newspaper to retain their shape. Leave your suitcases open. Dry leather goods away from heat and sun. When leather goods are dry, clean with saddle soap. You can use steel wool or a suede brush on suede. Rinse leather and suede jackets in cold water and dry away from heat and sun.

Dry books by placing them on end with the pages separated. Then they should be piled and pressed to prevent the pages from crinkling. To help prevent mildew, alternate drying and pressing until the books are thoroughly dry. If your books are very damp, sprinkle cornstarch or talc between the pages, leave for several hours, then brush off. A fan turned on the books will help them dry.

Food -- “If in Doubt -- Throw it Out”

Wash your canned goods in detergent and water. Do the same for food in jars. If the labels come off, be sure you mark the contents on the can or jar with a grease pencil. Do not use canned goods when cans have bulged, are dented, or rusted.

If your home freezer has stopped running, you can still save the frozen food:

• Keep the freezer closed. Your freezer has enough insulation to keep food frozen for at least one day -- perhaps two or three days.
• Move your food to a neighbor’s freezer or commercial freezer firm. Wrap the frozen food in newspapers and blankets, or use insulated boxes.
• If your food has thawed, observe the following procedures:
• Fruits can be re-frozen if they still taste and smell good.
• Do not re-freeze vegetables if they have thawed completely. Re-freeze only if there are ice crystals in the vegetables. If your vegetables have thawed and cannot be used soon, throw them out. If you have any doubts whether your vegetables are spoiling, throw them out -- don’t wait for a bad odor.
• Meats may be re-frozen (if ice crystals remain) but cook very thoroughly before tasting. If odor is poor or if you question these foods, throw them out as bacteria multiply rapidly.

Refrigerators and Freezers

To remove odor from your refrigerator or freezer, wash the inside with a solution of baking soda and water or use one cup of vinegar or household ammonia to one gallon of water. Some baking soda in an open container or a piece of charcoal can be placed in the refrigerator or freezer to absorb odor.

When cleaning or discarding a refrigerator or freezer. BE SURE THE DOOR IS REMOVED OR SECURED TO PREVENT THE DOOR FROM BEING CLOSED.

Reference Directory

American Red Cross (24-Hour Emergency Service) : 1-800-660-4272
Animal Control : 449-1700
Bus and Car Pool Information : 449-6000

City of Vacaville

Fire Administration (Records) : 449-5452
Fire Prevention : 449-5453
Police Administration (Records) : 449-5200
Water and Sewer (Problems) : 449-6276
Department of Motor Vehicles : 1-800-777-0133

Government Information

Solano County Assessor-Recorder : 421-6293
Vacaville City Clerk (Information) : 449-5100

Income Tax Information

Federal (Recorded Help Line) : 1-800-829-4477
State : 1-800-852-5711

Utilities

Garbage and Trash Disposal : 448-2945
Telephone (At&T Customer Service) : 1-800-310-2355
Pacific Gas & Electric : 1-800-743-5000
Water and Sewer (Problems) : 449-6276
Salvation Army : 449-0176