Wildfire seasons in Arizona are longer and hotter than they used to be. That’s not an abstraction to anyone who has watched smoke roll over the Mogollon Rim, seen ash drift across a Phoenix backyard, or taken a call from a neighbor in Prescott who had to evacuate in ten minutes. When fire pushes through mixed shrub and pine, it doesn’t just char fence lines. It turns roofs into entry points, sheds into fuel, and inventory into vapor. The aftermath is part cleanup and part negotiation. Insurance covers many losses, but the outcome depends on how you document, value, and present your claim. That is where a public adjuster earns their keep.
I’ve worked wildfire claims from Yarnell to Flagstaff, sometimes on the street with a clipboard and a mask, sometimes behind a desk reconstructing a property file that partly burned. The patterns repeat. Insurers want to move fast and reserve low until they understand the scope, homeowners are traumatized and overwhelmed, and the decisions made in the first two weeks can add or subtract tens of thousands of dollars. A skilled public adjuster doesn’t make the fire go away. They tilt the table back to level.
What a Public Adjuster Actually Does
A public adjuster represents the policyholder, not the insurance company. Arizona licenses them under A.R.S. Title 20, which caps fees and sets conduct standards. Their core job is to measure the loss, interpret the policy, and negotiate the claim. That sounds simple until you stand in a yard where the only landmarks are a mailbox and the concrete pads where two AC condensers used to sit.
On a typical wildfire claim, the adjuster starts with triage. They verify coverage, deductible, and limits, then map the loss categories: dwelling, other structures, personal property, additional living expenses, debris removal, code upgrades, landscaping, and sometimes business interruption for home-based operations. They build a timeline around the date of loss, evacuation orders, utility cutoffs, and occupancy. Then they start counting.
Counting means more than tallying burnt items. It covers smoke and soot migration, heat damage to electrical and plumbing, delamination in cabinets, blistered paint, compromised roofing underlayment, HVAC contamination, and debris testing for hazardous materials. Arizona fires often leave lead and asbestos in ash because older homes and outbuildings contained them. Landfills require special handling. If this is missed, the debris budget explodes mid-job.
The public adjuster writes the estimate, but the estimate is only one piece. They provide the narrative that ties costs to cause, cause to coverage, and coverage to policy language. That narrative is what gets paid.
Arizona Conditions That Complicate Wildfire Claims
Arizona wildfire claims behave differently than wind or hail claims. Dry heat and wind can push particulate deep into a structure without open flame. Embers might never land on the roof, yet windows and doors pull smoke inside through pressure differentials. I’ve tested homes a mile from the flame front that failed wipe tests on top of interior door frames and inside return ducts. These are the claims that carriers love to call “light smoke,” then offer a cleaning allowance and move on. Without a careful survey and testing, you accept pennies and discover months later that respiratory irritation wasn’t in your head.
There is also the way Arizona building codes interact with wildfire recovery. Local code officials in places like Coconino and Yavapai counties can require upgrades if repairs trigger thresholds. Wildfire claims often push a home over those thresholds because the damage is not uniform. You’re replacing roof planes, re-running electrical leaders to detached garages, and swapping entire HVAC systems because soot voids warranties when not remediated to manufacturer standards. Ordinance or law coverage pays for code-driven costs, but it comes with separate limits. If you forget to claim it, you lose those funds.
Then there is water. Firefighters do what they must, and that often means cutting holes in roofs and flooding rooms to stop spread in attics. In a monsoon month, rain follows through those openings. Secondary water damage mixes with smoke and ash. Carriers sometimes try to segment the water out as unrelated if it fell after the fire was controlled. A public adjuster ties the sequence together so the domino effect is viewed as one covered event.
The First Week Sets the Floor
The earliest actions after a wildfire determine both scope and leverage. Insurers usually send an independent adjuster quickly. They take photographs, offer a cash advance for immediate needs, and suggest vendors. Those vendors often sign assignment of benefits agreements that hand over control of the claim. Some do fine work. Others lock you into rates and scopes that later box you in, especially if you discover deeper issues. Homeowners sign because they’re exhausted and grateful. I’ve seen polite signatures cost thirty thousand dollars.
If you involve a public adjuster early, they coordinate emergency services without surrendering control. They document before anyone moves debris. They collect air and surface samples before cleaning crews wipe soot off high-value finishes. They measure every cabinet and baseboard before demolition. When you demolish without measurement, you turn facts into arguments.
I remember a small ranch house outside Payson where the owner insisted on self-managing because he had a friend with a restoration crew. They did a fast wipe-down and ozone treatment, then hauled debris. By the time I arrived, the only proof of pre-loss was a phone album and the carrier’s initial exterior photos. We still resolved the claim, but we left money on the table for built-ins and millwork that no longer existed to be measured.
Reading Your Policy Like a Builder, Not a Lawyer
Insurers write policies to bundle promises and limits. When you have a wildfire claim, you read the policy like you plan a project. You need to know which buckets of money exist, what can flow between them, and when you must spend to unlock replacement cost.
Arizona homeowners policies commonly include:
- Dwelling coverage (Coverage A) for the main structure. Replacement cost often requires you to actually repair or rebuild to get paid beyond the actual cash value. If you take a cash-out, you may leave 20 to 40 percent on the table depending on depreciation. Other structures (Coverage B) for detached garages, sheds, fences, retaining walls, and sometimes pools. Watch sublimits on pools and fences. Fire can warp steel and crack plaster even without direct flame. Personal property (Coverage C) for contents. Replacement cost for contents usually requires you to list items with approximate age and value. This is tedious. Public adjusters bring inventory teams to reconstruct rooms from photos, receipts, and memory prompts. A good inventory can add five figures to a claim that would otherwise be settled as a lump sum. Loss of use (Coverage D), also called additional living expenses. This pays for temporary housing, increased commute costs, pet boarding, storage, and meals beyond your normal grocery spend if you’re without a kitchen. The carrier will want receipts and a comparison to your pre-loss expenses. If you do this casually, you leave months of eligible costs unclaimed. Debris removal, often a percentage of Coverage A with additional allowances if trees or hazardous waste are involved. After a wildfire, disposal fees and testing add up quickly. If you burn through this category on hauling general debris without testing, the landfill may reject loads later, and you pay out of pocket. Ordinance or law coverage. If code enforcement requires fire-resistant assemblies, attic draft stops, or upgraded electrical to current NEC standards during repair, this coverage is the difference between a fair rebuild and a budget patch.
Public adjusters map the policy onto a build plan. They time estimates and payments so that you can order long-lead materials and reserve contractors. They also negotiate the depreciation holdback to release funds as stages are completed. Without that rhythm, you end up fronting money or waiting for checks while subcontractors ask for deposits.
The Economics of Hiring a Public Adjuster
People ask whether hiring an adjuster is worth the fee. Arizona allows public adjusters to charge a percentage of the claim, typically 5 to 10 percent depending on complexity and timing. Fees on declared catastrophes sometimes come with lower caps. The right question isn’t whether they cost money, but whether they increase the net and reduce risk.
On smoke-heavy, partial-loss claims, I regularly see public adjusters improve outcomes by 15 to 40 percent over initial offers, sometimes more on contents where the homeowner didn’t realize the breadth of coverage. On total losses where the carrier agrees quickly on limits, the uplift can be smaller, but organization and timing still matter for code upgrades and loss of use. A fair rule of thumb: if your claim is under ten thousand dollars, a fee might eat most of any improvement. If your claim is mid-five figures or higher, especially with Public Adjuster complex scope, representation often pays for itself and then some.
There is also the time and error factor. Claims require hours of documentation, calls, and follow-up. Most homeowners underestimate that load, then make concessions because they want it over. That’s understandable. It is also costly.
The Anatomy of a Strong Wildfire Claim
A strong claim is a story with evidence. It weaves time, cause, damage, and cost into a coherent package that a carrier can justify paying without fear of internal audit. The pieces look like this:
- Timeline. Evacuation alerts, fire perimeter maps, utility shutoffs, re-entry date, and any firefighting actions that affected the property. In Arizona, public incident records and GIS fire maps help anchor these facts. Site conditions. Photos and video from multiple angles, before and after, including drone shots if the roof is unsafe. Close-ups of soot patterns at vents and soffits tell a lot about intrusion paths. Testing. Air and surface sampling for soot and ash, duct inspections, and lab analysis for char markers like combustion byproducts. When a carrier pushes for simple cleaning, these tests provide the basis for replacement where cleaning cannot return systems to safe function. Estimate. Line-item detail for demolition, cleaning, repair, and replacement. Good estimates identify manufacturer requirements, such as HVAC coil replacement after soot exposure, and code citations like the International Residential Code provisions triggered by specific scopes. Contents. A room-by-room inventory with model numbers where possible. Receipts help, but photos and even warranty registrations can fill gaps. Many homeowners forget garages and attics until the last minute, so start there. Living expenses. Lease agreements, hotel folios, meal receipts, mileage logs, and comparisons to pre-loss utility bills and grocery spend. Precision matters here because carriers scrutinize these categories.
The adjuster packages these in a way that anticipates objections. If they know a carrier tends to fight HVAC replacements, they lead with manufacturer bulletins. If the carrier argues that wiping cabinets is adequate, they produce a test showing soot embedded in unfinished rear faces and tell the story of off-gassing odors that persist in heat. The work is part science, part craft.
Negotiation Tactics That Work in Arizona
Carriers have patterns. Some push hard on labor rates. Others nickel-and-dime on waste factors and line items like masking and protection. I have had carriers deny damage to windows because the glass didn’t crack, ignoring the way heat warps seals and smoke etches coatings. You don’t beat that with indignation. You beat it with local data and construction logic.
Use regional labor data that reflects post-catastrophe realities. In the weeks after a major fire, labor rates rise because trades are booked out. If your estimate uses stale rates, you’ll come up short on every trade. Document bids from actual contractors, not just pricing software outputs. Explain sequencing. If cabinet replacement requires countertop removal and undermount sink refit, show that in the scope. Don’t assume the desk adjuster knows how a kitchen goes back together.
When the carrier offers to bring in their preferred vendor, ask for their scope and estimate in writing. Evaluate it line by line. There are vendors who do excellent work, and there are vendors who minimize. A public adjuster neutralizes the pressure to accept a one-size solution by presenting a complete alternative that honors policy language. It’s harder to dismiss a well-built claim than a complaint.
Underinsurance and the Rebuild Gap
Wildfire exposes underinsurance brutally. Arizona’s rapid price swings in labor and materials, especially after 2020, left many homeowners with limits based on valuations two or three years old. A home that cost 220 dollars per square foot to rebuild in 2019 might cost 300 to 375 dollars today depending on finishes and code requirements. When you’re underinsured, coinsurance penalties sometimes apply on commercial or specialty policies, and limits simply run out on residential policies.
A public adjuster can’t conjure coverage that doesn’t exist, but they can structure the claim to maximize available buckets. They can also document code upgrades to access ordinance or law coverage, and they can advise on partial rebuild strategies that keep essential functions intact while you plan for a long-term solution. I’ve walked owners through phased rebuilds that preserved temporary occupancy for school schedules, then expanded later when funds arrived. It isn’t ideal, but control beats chaos.
Homeowners, Renters, and Small Businesses: Different Levers
Homeowners think about dwellings and contents. Renters should remember that their policy covers contents and additional living expenses, not the structure. When a wildfire doesn’t touch the building but smoke forces evacuation and the unit remains uninhabitable while remediation drags, renters can claim extended ALE. Many carriers try to cut this off after a short period. Documentation of habitability conditions and landlord communications keeps the payments flowing.
Small businesses, especially those operating from home, need to untangle personal from business property. Standard homeowners policies often exclude business inventory beyond modest limits. A public adjuster can coordinate parallel claims across a business policy and a homeowners policy, making sure that each pays its share without double-counting. For storefronts and service shops, business interruption coverage lives or dies on records. Time tracking, sales history, and vendor confirmations make the difference between a small stipend and a lifeline.
The Emotional Side You Won’t See on a Declarations Page
When you walk into a smoke-damaged home, you smell the loss before you see it. Drawers you opened a thousand times stick. Clothing carries a campfire note that won’t wash out. Heirlooms sit in a gray film you’re afraid to touch. People grieve in these rooms. Carriers run on process and rules. A public adjuster stands in that gap. They translate grief into paperwork without letting either side ignore the other’s reality.
I’ve sat at kitchen tables with people who wanted to accept the first offer because they were tired. They didn’t want to live in a rental another month. They didn’t want to argue about ductwork. Some needed to move on. Others needed a nudge to hold the line. The job is judgment. Push when it matters, settle when it doesn’t, and never confuse speed with resolution.
Common Mistakes After an Arizona Wildfire
Here is a short checklist to keep you from stepping in common holes:
- Tossing items before documenting them. Photograph every room and surface before you clean or discard. Even soot-stained items have value on your contents list. Accepting “clean only” scopes without testing. Air and surface samples, plus HVAC inspections, guide the difference between wipe and replace. Ignoring code upgrade coverage. Ask your contractor and adjuster which repairs trigger current code requirements, then claim those costs under ordinance or law. Underestimating additional living expenses. Track everything and compare to your pre-loss baseline. You are not “profiting” by submitting legitimate increases. Signing assignments you don’t understand. Keep control of your claim and your right to choose vendors. If you sign, cap the scope and cost.
When You Don’t Need a Public Adjuster
Not every claim requires representation. If the fire singed landscaping, lightly smoked an unoccupied garage, and the carrier offers a payment that fully covers replacement with reasonable labor, you might be fine managing solo. If your home is a total loss and the policy limits clearly exceed rebuild costs with generous ALE and code coverage, representation might add convenience more than dollars. In these cases, at least consult with an adjuster to confirm your read. Many will review for a modest fee or at no charge and tell you honestly whether they can improve the outcome.
How to Choose the Right Adjuster
Arizona’s surge events attract out-of-state adjusters chasing catastrophe work. Some are excellent, some are itinerant. Look for licensing in Arizona, references from local contractors or attorneys, and a track record on wildfire claims specifically. Ask how they handle contents inventories and testing. Ask who will actually visit your property, not just who signs the contract. Good adjusters are specific. They talk about duct sealing, roof sheathing delamination, thermal tracking on insulation, not just “getting you more.”
Ask about fee structure and what happens if the carrier has already made payments. Clarify whether fees apply to ALE payments. Understand whether they will coordinate with your contractor or bring their own estimators. Make sure their timelines respect yours. Wildfire claims are marathons. You need a steady partner, not a sprinter.
Working With Contractors Without Losing the Thread
Contractors fix, adjusters argue, carriers pay. The sequence matters. Bring a contractor in early to scope realistic rebuild paths and identify code triggers. Let the adjuster translate that scope into the estimate format carriers use. Avoid letting the contractor run billing directly to the carrier without a clear scope and price. When the contractor and carrier negotiate without you or your adjuster, you can end up with a scope that favors speed over completeness.
In Arizona, availability is tight after large fires. Vet a few contractors and reserve your preferred one, but don’t rush into a full contract before your claim scope and budgets are reasonably set. A letter of intent with a cancelation clause allows the contractor to hold a spot while your adjuster does the heavy lifting with the carrier.
The Long Tail: Health, Maintenance, and Resale
Smoke doesn’t always announce itself months later, but when it does, it shows up in HVAC odors during first heat, on humid summer days in the Valley, or when attic temperatures spike in June. Keep testing records and post-remediation reports. If odors return, those documents help you reopen the claim or press for further remediation under warranties. Replace smoke-damaged filters multiple times and consider duct sealing and insulation replacements if initial cleaning was a compromise solution.
When you sell, buyers will ask about fire history. A clean, well-documented file with test results, contractor invoices, permits, and final reports protects value. It shows that you didn’t just paint over a problem. Public adjusters often compile a final package that reads like a medical chart for the house. That is useful beyond the claim.
A Real-World Example From Northern Arizona
A two-story home outside Flagstaff survived a fast-moving fire with no visible charring. The insurer’s first site visit produced a modest estimate: exterior power washing, interior wipe-down, and carpet cleaning. The offer was just under 18,000 dollars. The owners weren’t convinced. They brought in a public adjuster.
The adjuster ordered wipe tests in high and low locations, sampled insulation at soffit bays, and scoped the HVAC with a camera. The tests showed combustion byproducts deep in supply lines and behind cabinet runs, plus soot intrusion through can lights. Manufacturer bulletins for the specific HVAC units called for coil replacement when soot exposure exceeded threshold levels. The cabinets were semi-custom with factory finishes that cleaning could dull. The adjuster built an estimate that included full duct replacement, coil replacement, cabinet replacement on affected runs, repaint with smoke-sealing primer, attic insulation removal and replacement, HEPA cleaning, and a longer ALE timeline because the work required vacating.
The claim settled for about 96,000 dollars, plus four months of ALE. The owners didn’t profit. They got their house back to the condition they had, not a smell-alike version. The insurer didn’t lose unfairly. They paid what the policy promised once shown clear evidence.
The Bottom Line People Live With
Wildfires force people to make fast choices under stress. Insurance exists to buffer the loss, but policy language, carrier practices, and construction reality create friction. A public adjuster doesn’t eliminate that friction, they manage it. In Arizona, with dry air that carries smoke far and a building market that can double costs in a year, management matters.
If you have a serious wildfire claim, talk to a public adjuster early. If you decide to manage it yourself, borrow their habits: document before you touch anything, test before you clean, read your policy like a project plan, and insist on scopes that reflect how homes are actually built in this state. The difference shows up not just in the check amount, but in how your home smells when the first summer heat hits and the AC kicks on. That detail, more than any line item, tells you whether the claim was done right.
Select Adjusters LLC
2152 S Vineyard #136, Mesa, AZ 85210
+1 (888) 275-3752
[email protected]
Website: https://www.selectadjusters.com