The First 72 Hours

The first three days after a wildfire pass in a blur of shock, exhaustion, and a hundred urgent decisions, often made on no sleep and an empty stomach. If you are reading this, you have already survived the hardest part. What follows now is not a sprint but the careful first leg of a long recovery, and the choices you make in these early hours can protect your safety, your health, and the support you will be entitled to later. This chapter walks you through those first 72 hours one calm step at a time. You do not have to do all of it today, and you do not have to do any of it alone. Read what you can, take what is useful, and set the rest aside until you have rested.

The single most important thing you can do in the first 72 hours is stay alive and unhurt. Everything else can wait.

Wait for the official all-clear

The strongest pull in the first days is the pull to go home, to stand on your own ground and see for yourself. That instinct is human and powerful, and it is also the one most likely to get you hurt. A neighborhood that looks quiet from the road can still be deadly. CAL FIRE and local authorities will tell you when an area is safe to re-enter, and until they do, the burn zone remains an active hazard area. Do not return home until officials say it is safe to do so.

Roads may be closed for good reason. Re-entry is often staged, with residents allowed back area by area as crews confirm conditions. Watch your county's emergency management page, the local sheriff or fire department, and official alerts for the all-clear. In California, you can also follow CAL FIRE incident updates and your county Office of Emergency Services. When the all-clear comes, it usually arrives with instructions, so read them carefully.

Why returning too soon is so dangerous

The dangers in a fresh burn zone are not always visible, which is exactly what makes them deadly. Among the hazards officials warn about:

• Hidden hot spots and live embers. The ground can hold heat pockets long after the flames are gone. Avoid hot ash, charred trees, smoldering debris, and live embers, any of which can burn you or reignite a fire.
• Downed and possibly live power lines. A line on the ground may still be energized. Treat every downed line as live, keep far away, and report it to your utility. Do not drive over downed lines.
• Toxic ash and debris. Wildfire ash is not like campfire ash. When homes, cars, and electronics burn, the residue can contain heavy metals, asbestos, and other harmful materials. It is irritating to the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs, and it can trigger asthma attacks.
• Weakened structures. Walls, ceilings, and floors that survived the fire may be unstable. Before entering any building, make sure the path in and the structure itself appear stable. Watch for sagging ceilings, cracked walls, warped floors, and signs of water damage.
• Hazardous trees. Fire weakens trees and limbs that can fall without warning. Stay clear of charred trees and overhead branches.
• Contaminated water. Do not drink or cook with tap water until authorities confirm it is safe, because fire and heat can damage water systems and pull contaminants into the supply. If you rely on a well, have the system inspected before you use the water.

Protect your body before you protect your property

When the all-clear comes and you do return, treat the property as a contaminated site, because that is what it is. The most common early injuries are not dramatic. They come from breathing ash, cutting a hand on debris, or stepping on something sharp. A little protective gear prevents most of them.

Before you set foot in ash or rubble, put on:

• A NIOSH-approved respirator, an N95 or, better for heavy ash and soot, a P100. A surgical mask or cloth face covering will not protect your lungs from fine ash. The respirator should fit snugly against your face.
• Gloves sturdy enough to handle debris, not thin disposable ones alone.
• Boots or closed shoes with socks, ideally with thick soles, since nails and broken glass are everywhere.
• Long sleeves and long pants to keep ash off your skin, plus goggles to protect your eyes.

Do not sift through ash bare-handed looking for keepsakes, however much you want to. If ash touches your skin, gets in your eyes, or reaches your mouth, wash it off as soon as you can. To keep ash out of the air, do not use leaf blowers and do not dry-sweep. The California Department of Public Health recommends misting ash lightly with water first, then sweeping gently or using a wet mop. Keep children and pets away from ash entirely.

The calls that matter most first

Once you and your family are safe, the next 72 hours are about opening the doors to the help that may be available to you. A few phone calls, made early, can unlock money for a place to stay and start the clock on longer recovery. Make these calls before you start cleaning, and keep a simple notebook of who you spoke to, when, and what they said.

1. Your insurance company, to open a claim

If you have homeowner's or renter's insurance, call your insurer or agent and open a claim as soon as you can. Two things to ask for, in this order:

• An advance on additional living expenses. This coverage, sometimes called Additional Living Expenses, ALE, or Loss of Use, helps pay the extra costs of living away from a home that is unsafe to occupy: temporary housing, food, and similar expenses. The California Department of Insurance explains that after a declared state of emergency, insurers must provide an advance and that this coverage runs for an extended period, with rules that protect policyholders. Ask for the advance in writing, and remember that email counts as writing.
• A written list of what ALE covers. Your insurer must, on request, give you a list of the kinds of expenses that normally qualify. Ask for it in writing so you know what to save receipts for.

Note that you may be eligible for additional living expenses even if your home is still standing, if it is unsafe to live in because of downed power lines, toxic materials, or damaged utilities. The California Department of Insurance also points out that an insurer may sometimes offer an alternative to direct payments, such as installing a generator, so read what you are offered carefully and keep copies of every letter and email. If you rent, your policy's additional living expenses coverage tends to be shorter and usually lasts until you can move into another rental, so move quickly to line up a new place. If you disagree with how your insurer is handling your claim, the California Department of Insurance helps consumers and can be reached at 1-800-927-4357.

A few habits make the whole claim go smoother from day one. Write down your policy number and your insurer's claim phone number and keep them with you. Start a single notebook or a note on your phone that logs every conversation: the date, the name of the person, and what was promised. Ask for a copy of your full policy if you do not have one, since the declarations page tells you your coverage limits. None of this requires legal help, and doing it now saves enormous frustration later.

Ask for your advance in writing, and keep every receipt from the moment you evacuated.

2. FEMA, if a major disaster has been declared

When the President declares a major disaster for your area, federal help may become available to individuals. Register with FEMA as soon as you can. You can apply online at disasterassistance.gov, through the FEMA app, or by calling 800-621-3362 (TTY 800-462-7585), with help available in many languages. FEMA assistance is separate from insurance, and you should apply even if you have a policy, because the two can cover different gaps. Have your insurance information, Social Security number, current contact details, and bank information ready if you can. After you apply, you can create an online account to track your application and upload documents FEMA requests.

3. Your utilities, to stop service or transfer it

Call your electric, gas, water, and other utility providers to report the damage and to stop, suspend, or transfer service. This protects you from being billed for a home you cannot use and helps the utility keep crews safe. If you are moving to temporary housing, ask about transferring service or setting up a temporary account.

4. Your mortgage servicer

If you have a mortgage, call your loan servicer, the company you send payments to, and tell them what happened. Many servicers offer disaster forbearance or other relief that can pause or reduce payments for a period while you recover. You will not know what is available unless you ask, and reaching out early is better than missing a payment in silence.

Document everything before you touch it

It is natural to want to start cleaning, to impose a little order on chaos. Resist that urge until you have documented the property. Photographs and video taken before any cleanup protect your insurance claim and your application for assistance, and they cannot be recreated once debris is moved.

• Photograph and video the outside of the property and every room you can safely reach.
• Capture damaged belongings and structural damage in detail before moving anything.
• Begin a list of what was lost, room by room, even a rough one, while your memory is fresh.
• Keep all receipts related to the disaster, including lodging, meals, and supplies you buy now.

If safety allows, take only essential steps to prevent further damage, such as covering a broken window, and save the receipts for those repairs too. Do not throw away damaged items or make permanent repairs until your insurer has had a chance to inspect, unless an item is a health hazard, in which case photograph it thoroughly first.

A few practical tips make documentation more useful. Photograph from several angles and get close enough to read brand names and model numbers on appliances and electronics, since those help establish value. If you have older photos or videos of your home from before the fire, on your phone, in email, or stored in the cloud, gather those too, because they show what your rooms and belongings looked like intact. Keep a copy of all of this in more than one place, such as a cloud account, so a lost phone does not erase your record. You are building a quiet, factual account of what was here, and that record belongs to you.

Cash, essentials, and medications

In the first days, you need a small set of practical things to keep going. Card systems and ATMs may be down near the burn area, so try to keep some cash on hand for fuel, food, and supplies.

Replace what you cannot do without

• Medications. If you left prescriptions behind, contact your pharmacy or doctor right away for emergency refills. Pharmacies can often issue an emergency supply during a declared disaster. Do not skip doses of essential medicine while you sort things out.
• Eyeglasses, hearing aids, and medical devices. Ask your provider about temporary replacements.
• Basic supplies. Clothing, toiletries, phone chargers, and a few days of food and water. The American Red Cross and local relief organizations often distribute these at shelters and recovery sites.

Protect and replace your vital records

If your documents survived, gather them and keep them somewhere safe and dry, ideally with you. If they were lost, do not panic, because nearly all of them can be replaced, and after a declared disaster the process is often faster and sometimes free.

• Birth, death, and marriage certificates. In California, the Department of Public Health handles these, and replacements are often provided at no charge for residents of disaster-affected areas. You can apply by verifying your identity online or through a notarized application.
• Social Security card. Apply through the Social Security Administration online or in person, and replacements may be available at a Disaster Recovery Center.
• Driver's license or state ID. Contact the California Department of Motor Vehicles for a replacement.
• Passport, tax records, and other documents. USAGov maintains a guide to replacing vital records and ID cards that points you to the right office for each one.

FEMA recommends starting at a Disaster Recovery Center if one has opened near you, because staff there can often help with several document replacements in one visit. As you collect new copies, store them together so you are not searching for them again next week. It helps to make a short checklist of the documents your household relies on, identification, financial records, insurance papers, medical records, and immigration or military documents, and to check them off as each is replaced. Many of these offices waive or reduce fees for residents of declared disaster areas, so mention that you were affected when you apply.

Emotional first aid in the first days

Losing a home, or fearing you have, is a profound shock, and your mind and body will respond. Trouble sleeping, a racing heart, numbness, irritability, tearfulness, or simply feeling frozen are all common reactions to a disaster, not signs that something is wrong with you. In the first 72 hours, the goal is not to process everything. It is to steady yourself enough to keep making safe decisions.

• Eat something and drink water, even when you do not feel like it.
• Rest when you can, even short stretches. Decisions get harder the more exhausted you are.
• Go easy on alcohol, which makes sleep and mood worse in the days ahead.
• Reach out to someone you trust and say out loud what you are feeling.
• Take small breaks: a short walk, a few slow breaths, a few minutes of quiet.

If the weight of it becomes too much, free and confidential help is available around the clock. The Disaster Distress Helpline, run by SAMHSA, offers crisis counseling 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by call or text at 1-800-985-5990, and you do not have to give any identifying information. Reaching out is a sign of strength, not weakness, and there are people whose only job, right now, is to help you carry this.

You survived the fire. Be as patient with yourself as you would be with a friend who had just lost everything.

Caring for and locating pets and livestock

For many families, animals are family, and the days after a fire are frightening for them too. If pets or livestock were left behind during the evacuation, contact your county animal control, local animal shelters, and large-animal rescue groups, which often coordinate sheltering and reunification after California wildfires. Bring a recent photo and any identification details, and check shelter intake lists in person and online.

When you are reunited:

• Clean ash off pets and other animals that have been in contaminated areas, and wash their paws so they do not track ash indoors or lick it off.
• Be aware that an animal's behavior can change after a disaster, becoming fearful, defensive, or aggressive, even with people they know. Approach calmly and give them time.
• Watch for hazards at nose, paw, and hoof level: debris, broken glass, spilled chemicals, and fertilizers that may not look dangerous to you.
• For livestock, check fences, water sources, and feed for contamination before turning animals loose, and provide clean water and shade.

Where to sleep tonight

One of the most pressing questions in the first hours is simply where to lay your head. You have more options than it may feel like, and you do not have to figure out the next month tonight. You only have to figure out tonight.

• Emergency shelters. The American Red Cross and local agencies open shelters during major wildfires, offering a safe place to sleep, food, water, and a connection to other services. Your county emergency page or 2-1-1 can tell you where the nearest one is.
• Family and friends. If someone can take you in for a few nights, accept the help. People want to be useful, and you can return the kindness later.
• Hotels and short-term rentals. If you have insurance, your additional living expenses coverage may reimburse the cost, so call your insurer, ask about an advance, and save the receipts. Some hotels offer discounted disaster rates, so it is worth asking.
• Recovery centers and 2-1-1. Dialing 2-1-1 connects you to local resources for housing, food, and assistance across most of California.

Wherever you land tonight, that is enough. The fuller picture of rebuilding, claims, and decisions will still be there tomorrow, and you will meet it with more strength after a meal and a night of rest.

A short list for the first 72 hours

If you read nothing else, hold on to this:

1. Stay out of the burn zone until officials give the all-clear.
2. When you do return, wear a respirator, gloves, boots, and long sleeves, and never sift ash with bare hands.
3. Call your insurer to open a claim and ask, in writing, for an advance on additional living expenses.
4. If a major disaster is declared, register with FEMA at disasterassistance.gov or 800-621-3362.
5. Call your utilities and your mortgage servicer.
6. Photograph and video everything before you move or clean it.
7. Refill medications, keep some cash, and save every receipt.
8. Find your pets, find a safe place to sleep, eat, rest, and ask for help when you need it.

You cannot do all of this in one day, and you are not meant to. Recovery is measured in weeks and months, not hours. The purpose of these first three days is only to keep you safe, open the doors to support, and protect the record of what you lost. You have already done the hardest thing by getting through the fire. Take the next steps gently, one at a time, and lean on the official resources and the people around you. They exist for exactly this moment.