Fire damage repair cost in Florida.

Yes — fire is one of the most universally covered perils under Florida HO-3 policies. Coverage A (dwelling) covers structural repair and rebuilding. Coverage C (personal property) covers contents at ACV or RCV depending on your policy. Coverage D (Additional Living Expenses/ALE) covers hotel, rental, and increased living costs while the home is uninhabitable during repair. Fire damage claims are among the most complex: the structural scope, smoke and soot remediation, contents pack-out and cleaning, and ALE all must be documented and estimated in Xactimate. Your restoration contractor's estimate should cover all four coverage categories. Post-fire mold from firefighting water is also covered as part of the fire claim.

Fire damage costs vary enormously by fire size and what burned. Minor kitchen fire (grease fire, limited to one room): $5,000–$20,000 (cleaning, odor treatment, limited drywall/cabinet repair). Moderate single-room fire: $20,000–$60,000 (full room rebuilding, HVAC cleaning, contents pack-out). Major fire affecting multiple rooms: $60,000–$150,000+. Total loss or near-total loss: replacement cost of the structure, which ranges $120,000–$400,000+ for typical Central Florida homes. The largest single cost driver in most fires is not the burned area itself but the smoke, soot, and odor remediation extending to areas that were not directly on fire — smoke travels through HVAC and permeates every room.

Contents pack-out is the professional inventory, removal, transport, cleaning, storage, and return of your personal belongings during fire restoration. All contents in smoke-affected rooms must be removed before structural work can begin, cleaned of soot and odor, stored in climate-controlled facilities, and returned after the home is restored. Contents cleaning costs $500–$5,000+ depending on the volume and value of items. High-value items (electronics, artwork, clothing) require specialized cleaning methods. Contents pack-out is a separate Xactimate line item from structural restoration — ensure your adjuster includes it in the estimate. Undocumented contents that are cleaned or discarded without inventory may not be fully compensated.

Minor fire (one room, limited smoke spread): 3–6 weeks. Moderate fire (multiple rooms, significant smoke): 6–12 weeks. Major fire (structural damage, full or partial rebuild): 3–9 months. Florida-specific factors that extend timelines: permitting for structural repair (typically 2–4 weeks for permit approval in Orange, Osceola, and Seminole Counties); licensed contractor availability after major hurricane seasons (demand spikes significantly); humidity during drying phases requiring extended equipment time. ALE (Additional Living Expenses) coverage applies throughout the full restoration period — ensure your adjuster's ALE estimate matches the realistic rebuild timeline.

Fire damage repair addresses what physically burned: structural framing, drywall, cabinets, flooring, and contents in the fire zone. Smoke damage repair addresses the entire house: cleaning, deodorizing, and sometimes replacing materials that were not on fire but received soot and smoke penetration. In a typical single-room house fire, fire damage (the burned room) is often 20–40% of the total cost — smoke damage remediation for the rest of the house is 60–80% of total cost. This surprises many homeowners and adjusters who focus on the burned area and underestimate the smoke scope. Properly documented, smoke damage throughout the home is a fully covered part of the fire claim.