Fire Damage Claims
Comprehensive fire damage assessment and claim management for residential and commercial properties.
A fire claim is never just the burned rooms. Heat warps framing two rooms away, smoke drives soot into every closet and duct, and the water used to put the fire out soaks floors and walls that never saw a flame. Insurance carriers write their first estimate for the damage you can see. Metropolitan Adjustment Bureau has handled fire losses since 1972, from kitchen fires in a single room to total losses in the Palisades and Eaton fires, and our job is to make sure the policy pays for all of it.
What a fire claim actually includes
A standard homeowners or commercial property policy pays for far more than rebuilding the burned structure. Coverage typically extends to smoke and soot cleaning throughout the building, replacement of contents that absorbed odor, demolition and debris removal, bringing the rebuilt structure up to current building code, and the cost of living or operating somewhere else while repairs are made. Each of those is a separate coverage with its own limit and its own documentation requirements.
The carrier's adjuster is paid to close the file. Ours is paid to recover what you are owed. The difference shows up first in the scope: a company estimate often lists cleaning where replacement is required, or a partial roof where the whole assembly has lost structural integrity. We bring in our own inspection, our own contractor pricing and, where needed, industrial hygienists and engineers.
Smoke, soot and odor
Smoke damage is the most underpaid part of a fire claim. Soot is acidic and corrosive; it etches glass, pits metal, and penetrates drywall, insulation, upholstery and HVAC systems. Carriers routinely approve surface cleaning and deny replacement, then the odor returns in the first hot week of summer. We document soot migration with laboratory testing and insist on remediation that actually works, including sealed-and-replaced insulation and duct systems where testing shows contamination.
If your home was near a wildfire but did not burn, you may still have a smoke and ash claim. See our dedicated smoke and soot claims page for how those are handled.
Commercial fire losses
A fire in a restaurant, auto shop, medical office, warehouse or apartment building adds business income, extra expense, tenant improvements, equipment and ordinance-and-law coverage to the property claim. Those are the coverages carriers scope last and pay least. We handle commercial fire claims throughout Los Angeles County, from Sylmar and Calabasas to Glendale, Pasadena, Vernon and the Harbor, and across Orange County. See our commercial claims page for how business-interruption and code-upgrade coverage are calculated.
Total losses and underinsurance
After a total loss, the fight is usually about limits. Dwelling coverage set years ago rarely matches the cost of rebuilding after a regional disaster drives up labor and materials. We review every endorsement for extended replacement cost, inflation guard, and building-code upgrade coverage, and we make sure the contents inventory, the hardest and most emotional document in a fire claim, is complete and valued at replacement cost rather than depreciated out of existence.
Additional living expense (ALE) coverage pays for comparable housing while you rebuild. Carriers push to end ALE early. We document the real rebuild timeline, including permit delays, and hold the carrier to it.
What we cover
Free Claim Review
Send us your policy and any correspondence from the carrier. We will tell you what the claim is worth and whether representation will help. No cost, no obligation.
(818) 905-6800Send a MessageWhat carriers dispute on fire damage claims
Fire Damage Claims: common questions
Not before it is reviewed. First estimates are routinely written for the visible damage only and leave out smoke migration, structural heat damage, code upgrades and the full contents loss. Accepting an undisputed payment does not close your claim; you can still pursue the difference, and most of our fire clients come to us after a first offer.
Usually, yes. Smoke, soot and ash from a nearby fire are covered losses under most property policies. Carriers often underpay these by approving cleaning only. Testing the home for soot and char particulates is the first step; it tells us what needs cleaning and what needs replacement.
A partial loss with a cooperative carrier can settle in two to four months. Total losses typically take longer because the contents inventory, the rebuild estimate and additional living expenses are each negotiated separately. California regulations require insurers to acknowledge a claim within 15 days and accept or deny it within 40 days of receiving proof of claim; we enforce those deadlines.
Nothing upfront. Our fee is a percentage of the settlement we recover for you, set out in a written agreement before any work begins. If we do not recover, there is no fee.
Yes. We have represented families and businesses through Woolsey, Thomas, Mountain, Palisades and Eaton, including total-loss rebuild claims, FAIR Plan policies, smoke claims on standing homes and disputes over policy limits.
Related claim services
Smoke, soot and ash contamination claims for homes and businesses — including wildfire smoke on standing properties.
Large-scale commercial property damage claims including business interruption.
Complete home damage claim management for homeowners, from single-family homes to condos and apartments.