The same night
Rain through a vented roof in a Puget Sound winter soaks ceilings and insulation the fire did not touch; open houses are entered; soot spreads on every draft. Board-up crews are dispatched the same night across King, Snohomish, Pierce and Kitsap, with honest windows for the Kitsap bridges and ferries.
What gets secured
Broken and burned windows and doors, garage doors, basement windows, pet doors; roof openings tarped or covered with temporary panels; fencing where the structure is unsafe or the lot exposed; temporary power and lighting arranged where service is off.
Fire chasers
Crews who follow scanners to fires and work families at the scene are a feature of every metro area. Nothing requires you to use whoever arrives first. Get a name and an L&I number, read what you are asked to sign, and sign nothing that assigns your claim.
What follows
The assessment crew arrives the next morning to identify the smoke residue, map water from firefighting, start the inventory and draft the scope. Board-up is itemized and billed to your insurer on covered claims; your deductible applies as your policy states.
