Garage fires present extremely hazardous conditions. (Photo: Sean Scott)
According to the National Fire Protection Association, there were approximately 490,500 structure fires reported in the United States in 2020, with an average of a home structure fire reported every 89 seconds. The cost in 2020 (not including wildfires) was over $12.1 billion in damages. You can imagine that this frequency of fires creates a tremendous volume of property damage claims for insurance companies and their field adjusters.
Once a structure fire is extinguished, it isn't long before a claim is filed and insurance adjusters are on scene. In some cases, adjusters can show up within hours after a fire has occurred to begin the process of documenting the damages. The assumption is that once the fire department is finished, the building should be relatively safe to enter.
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