Lessons Learnt After Being the Victim of a House Fire

Hi there

There is usually a nugget of wisdom in each challenge we face. The last few weeks have been the most stressful and disruptive of my whole life. There's been shock, trauma, disbelief, feeling overwhelmed and grieving.

• Shock is the first reaction ( I thought I was fine until the shock wore off.) I didn't also realise the repercussions of not being able to live in my hone for around 12 months.

• Then comes disbelief Then comes either 'why me' or acceptance 

• Grief and heart break come out go which can cause melt downs randomly.

• Daily yoga is even more important

• Self care is even more important 

• Take time off work if you can afford it

• Stock up on black N95 masks, torches (no electricity), baby wipes or gloves, wear old clothes (like my black emergency K-Mart outfit)

• Keep an eye on your house for vandals and ask your neighbours too swell. One of the blessing here is we've gotten to know our neighbours.

• Caneras are a godsend as this is what alerted me to the smoke. The smoke alarms don't g off until smoke enters your house

• If you’re lucky enough to have help from family and friends take it. We have been blessed to have a rock star step son and mother-in-law.

• Wether or not you don’t lose everything - consider what you need to buy and keep a tally. It adds up far too quickly.

• Take photos and serial numbers now and keep receipts handy incase you may need them later. As yes this could happen to you. Electrical fires are on the rise and usually spread faster. This fire damaged at least 4 houses.Smoke damage alone can make your house unliveable as they hqafe to remove the carpet and paint at the very least.|

This sort of thing disrupts you more than you think. It’s a total different ball game than writing off a car.

It involves dealing with police, thanking firefighters, builders and insurance companies, helpful neighbours, nosy neighbours and often the media.

Its ok to cry - this is a way of your body showing grief. Crying is the highest form of yoga one so knows crying knows yoga - Swami Kripalu

Like with grieving a death of a loved one you have your good days and not so good days, it’s not a linear recovery. Days when you just sob and shake. Shaking is good it’s your body’s way of releasing adrenaline and down regulating your nervous system. It’s completely natural and normal. For more on these please look up David bercelis work. His TRE has been instrumental in my recovery from complex trauma as has EMDR. 

Give yourself some slack when you have a bad day. 

If you haven’t been through this before here are some warning.

If you think you can’t afford insurance it more no you can’t afford not to have it. This sort of experience can happen to anyone, some poor people suffer this more than once in their lifetime. 

Most people are under insured. Especially with contents. We were too. Luckily we didn’t lose everything. Take photos not just for evidence later but as a way to workout what your contents is worth. What would you absolutely need to replace? 

Keep track of your receipts for the very same reason.

Note carpet and curtains are contents not building. Tiles are part of the building.

If you have fire cover for contents. Make sure it doesn’t just include fire damage )ie burnt contents) make sure it includes smoke and water damage which can cause contents to be obsolete. Not all insurance covers this - read the fine print. 

Also note that if only part of your contents is damaged the insurance company can charge a fee to bring in an external assessor for this, that can cost and extra $10-15k. So bare this in account when you tally up your contents. Also keep in mind the CPI.

Note if your insurance company covers the electricity and water that the builders will need to do the return or build.

Note how long the insurance will pay for your rental or airbnb. Note what you’re  entitled too. Ie usually it’s an equivalent apartment house, We negotiated for more due to the rental crisis as we pointed out that staying in an airbnb would cost more.

Don’t expect them to give you an answer straight away as to what they will pay out. So far we’ve waited nearly a month.

Expect it to be time consuming and that it will distript and distract you. 

Don’t expect your work, family and friends to understood the extent this disruption is. Some may help, some may just send you a kind message but not offer help. Sone people just don’t know what to say.

This findable, expect tourists who come by just to take photos and sticky beak don't even say hi.,, 

If you’re lucky enough not to lose all your contents - there’s a lot of cleaning ahead of you. Sone things you might toss due to soot or the smell. Other things will here speaking in white vinegar, Bi- carb and essential oils. Then put out in the sun. 

Often this is also involved soaking prior or in the washing machine. This can take 3 times over.

Somethings are best off dry cleaned.

Smelly manual that you absolutely need can be photocopied with the original thrown out or scanned and backed up on a or several external hard drives and a cloud like One drove or Google.

Keep receipts of all the items you buy as a result of the fire or flood etc. you may need this for further evidence. 

If you’re renting your landlord won’t cover contents. They only have to cover the building part. Unless it was your fault, that could change things for all we know. 

If you have been fortunate enough not to suffer a fire. Have a plan ahead. Ie know where your keys are so you don’t get stuck if doors are deadlocks. Try to get your car out if you have time and park it well away from the trucks, expect to be interviewed by the police media ( wear a mask or wipe your face due to door).

As soon as you gain entry back into the house get your valuables out and start cleaning. Prioritise what is worth the most (is what is sentimental and can’t be replaced or most valuable). Even if 's charred black as were many things on my daughter's book case, it is possible to salve. I soaked these in water, bicab sodanate, lemon myrtle essential oil and white vingar. Then I started whipiinf the soot of with paper towels then back in they got soaked again. I have 7 buckets. 4 washing lines and of course a washing machine. Luckily it's summer as the sun helps remove stains. Some plastic toys were soaked like this or put in the dishwasher! I'm also lucky to have enough space in this house to quarantine the smelly stuff to prevent the smell speaking as unfortunately it does. Even more so than cigarette smoke. 

Dry cleaning can also be an option. Getting coauhies professionally cleaned is often necessary too.

Reed diffusers are also nice. White vinegar bowls in the quarantine rooms to ingest the snell can also be beneficial.

Closed doors help reduce damage but closing doors doesn’t necessarily mean no soot. Soot comes in through the vents. I'm still trying to get the soot off my reformer!!

If you have valuable such as computers, Jewelery and sentimental items ( photo albums) either out then in a fire proof safe or cabinet or a steel cabinet. Fire proof envelops may be another options too, 

Steel holds up a lot better than wood or being in an open space. Steel cabinets can also precent smoke damage (ie the smell) and water damage. 

Don’t worry if you don’t get time to pit more clothes or wear shoes or get your hand bag. You’ll be fine just get out of that house and call 000!

Do your research on what starts fires:

• Massage chairs (i.e iif they're fault or not turned off properly) This is how the house next door to use started. Unfortunately they didn't realise until they were all upstairs and then the smoke alarms went off (get them checked regularly)

• E-bikes left overnight to charge

• Unattended stoves 

• Candles

• Lint in washing machine or dryer 

Don’t buy products from dodgy international companies. Often these have not been safety approved by Australia. Buy from reputable companies. Get your electricity wiring checked regularly. Get E-bikes serviced and safety checked regularly.

Best
Liz