Tarping a fire-damaged roof: why it is rarely a DIY job, and what you can do from the ground

A house fire often opens the roof. Flames burn through, or firefighters cut a hole to let heat and smoke out. Then the rain arrives, sometimes the same night, and the instinct is to grab a tarp and a ladder. Of all the jobs around a fire, this is the one to leave alone. A crew can tarp it, often the same night, and there is plenty for you to do on the ground in the meantime.

Why a fire-damaged roof is different

Tarping a sound roof in a rainstorm is already risky. A roof that has been through a fire adds hazards you cannot see from the ladder.

• The damage is underneath. Fire attacks rafters, trusses and decking from the attic side. Shingles can look fine over framing that has lost much of its strength.
• Firefighting water adds weight. Soaked decking and insulation weigh far more than dry material, and wet panels are weaker.
• The surface is slick. Wet shingles, the moss common on shaded Puget Sound roofs and a film of soot or ash make poor footing.
• The wires may be live. Heat can damage the mast and the overhead line where power enters the house, and you cannot tell by looking whether they have been cut off.
• Old materials. Debris around the opening in an older house may contain asbestos or lead paint.
• Crews rope up for a reason. Washington L&I requires employers to provide fall protection when workers are exposed to falls of four feet or more. A crew arrives with the anchors, harnesses and training. A homeowner on an extension ladder in the wind does not have them.

The only version that is reasonable to do yourself is not really a fire-damaged roof: a low shed, lean-to or carport the fire never touched, with no wires nearby, that you can reach from the ground or a short stepladder on firm footing.

What you can do from the ground

1. Wait for the release. Ask the officer in charge whether it is safe to be on the property, whether power and gas are off and whether anyone must inspect before you go near the house.
2. Stay clear of wires. If a line is down or sagging, stay well back and call 911 and your electric utility, such as Seattle City Light, Puget Sound Energy, Tacoma Power or Snohomish County PUD.
3. Photograph the roof from the ground. Shoot all four sides, then zoom in on burned areas and vent cuts. A neighbor's upper window may give you a better angle. Do this before the rain if you can; it supports your claim and helps the crew plan.
4. Call your insurer. Get a claim number and ask what they need before emergency work starts.
5. Call a crew. Give them the address, the number of stories, the roof type, where the opening is, whether the power is off and the fire department's incident number if you have it.
6. Protect what is under the opening, but only if you have been cleared to go inside. Move valuables out, cover furniture with plastic and put buckets under drips. Stay out of any room where the ceiling sags, and do not poke it to drain it. Wet insulation and plaster are heavy and can come down all at once.
7. Stay out of the attic. Nobody should be on those joists until someone has looked at the framing.
8. Manage water at ground level. Clear fire debris from around the foundation and basement windows, and reconnect any downspout you can reach from the ground so it drains away from the house.
9. Use your tarp where it is safe. Cover salvageable contents, lumber or anything else moved outside, and weight it down against the wind.

What a good tarp looks like from the ground

You do not need to go up to check the work. Look for:

• Coverage. The tarp should reach at least three feet past the damage on all sides and, where possible, go up and over the ridge, so water cannot run under its top edge.
• Fastening. Edges held with wood boards fastened down, or another method that suits the roof. Sandbags alone can shift in high winds.
• Drainage. No deep pockets where water collects. A pool of water adds load to damaged framing.
• Records. Photos before and after, and an invoice that lists what was done.

Walk around after every windstorm. If an edge is flapping or lifted, or water shows up inside again, call the crew back. A tarp is a stopgap. If the rebuild is months away, ask about a framed temporary cover or shrink wrap, which can stand up better to a Puget Sound winter.

Hiring a crew in a hurry

Fire scenes attract people with clipboards, and nothing requires you to use whoever arrives first.

• Get a company name and an L&I number, and look it up with L&I's contractor verification tool, which helps you confirm an active registration with a valid bond and insurance.
• Get the emergency work priced in writing, separate from any rebuild.
• Read everything you are asked to sign, and do not sign an assignment of benefits at the scene.
• Ask how they will keep their people safe on the roof. If the answer is vague, call someone else.

What it costs

These are typical Puget Sound ranges, not quotes, and they vary with the roof, the weather and the hour.

• Plastic sheeting, buckets, gloves and an N95 for protecting contents: usually $40 to $100.
• Emergency tarp by a crew: commonly $400 to $2,000 for part of a roof, and more for steep or tall roofs, large openings and after-hours calls.
• Framed temporary cover or shrink wrap: commonly several thousand dollars and up, depending on size.
• Securing a whole house with board-up, a roof tarp and fencing: often well over a thousand dollars.

Tarping is usually treated as part of the covered loss when the fire itself is covered; ask your adjuster and keep the invoice. If a restoration contractor does it on a covered claim, it is $0 upfront on covered claims - insurer billed directly - deductible applies. What a fire rebuild costs and who pays covers the larger picture.

When to call a professional

In short, any time the fire reached the roof, the attic or the walls holding them up. Call now if:

• The roof has a burn-through or a vent cut, or you can see charred eaves, a sagging ridge or smoke staining at the soffits.
• Water is coming through ceilings, or a ceiling is sagging.
• Rain is forecast and the house is open.
• The service line or mast is damaged. Call the utility first.
• The house will sit empty. Emergency board-up covers every opening, and fencing where it is needed.
• You are not sure what the framing can carry. The fire damage assessment looks at it before anyone builds on it.

For a ground-floor window you can reach safely, see boarding up a fire-broken window. The lasting fix is part of the repair and reconstruction scope. For a tarp tonight in King, Snohomish, Pierce or Kitsap County, the line is open any hour at (425) 842-3483.