Although fire season is still in its early stages, many states have already been seriously affected by wildfires blazing out of control. Western states such as California, Arizona, Nevada, Montana, New Mexico and Colorado have been hit hard. The lack of rain, high winds and record temperatures have made it difficult for firefighters to contain these fires. Sadly, about 29 large fires have already consumed over 1.5 million acres of land across these states.
Six states have been heavily affected by the wildfires, but the Waldo Canyon fire, west of Colorado Springs, has received the most attention in the news – not because it is the biggest fire that is burning, but because of the number of homes and people affected by this fire. This fire has caused thousands to rush from their homes, as the fire doubled in size over the evening of June 26th.
With all of the fires blazing in Colorado, over 32,000 people have been forced to evacuate, including 2,100 people from the homes near the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Not all of the people who were required to evacuate lost their homes, as some were evacuated for precautionary measures. But hundreds of homes were destroyed or suffered heavy damage in the Colorado Springs fire. For those who didn’t lose their homes in the blaze, they know how fortunate they are. However, some of the homes left standing still sustained smoke damage.
In the affected areas, rescue workers weren’t able to tell which structures were destroyed and which ones were left standing due to the thick smoke and intense flames that surrounded them. Firefighters were fighting to save homes in near-zero visibility conditions. The full scope of the damage may not be known for some time. However, officials are saying that these are some of the worst fires to hit Colorado and the West in decades.
What Are Affected Homeowners to Do?
Homeowners who lost everything in the recent wildfires are now turning to their insurance companies to file fire damage claims and residential insurance claims to replace their personal belongings that got ruined in the fire or to repair or rebuild their homes that were destroyed in the blaze.
If your home burned or was destroyed in the Colorado Springs wildfire, Utah fire, St. George fire, southeastern Montana wildfire, or another wildfire, you should talk with a skilled residential insurance claim attorney first to find out what your fire claim may be worth. Insurance companies often lowball their policyholders to save the company money. Don’t let this happen to you. You will need every penny you can get from them to rebuild or repair your home after wildfire damage.
Call the Voss Law Firm today at 888-614-7730 for a free consultation, and request a complimentary copy of our book, Disputes With Your Insurance Company – What All Consumers Need to Know.
