Nobody plans for the morning after a fire. You may be standing on the sidewalk in borrowed clothes, with no keys, no phone charger and a building you are not allowed back into. New York City has a lot of help for people in that position, but it is spread across several agencies and organizations. This article puts what to do after a fire in NYC in order, from the first hours to the first week, using the city’s own published guidance.
NYC Fire Damage Restoration is an independent referral service, not a restoration company. When you send the form, your details go to an independent local restoration provider serving New York City, who can contact you, inspect and quote any work directly. You decide whether to hire them.
The first hours
- Stay out until you are told it is safe. NYC Emergency Management says to check with the fire department that the residence is safe to enter. If a vacate order is posted, DOB says no one can enter.
- Leave the utilities alone. NYC Emergency Management says do not attempt to reconnect utilities. The City Council’s fire guide tells tenants to call the gas and electric providers to suspend service.
- Find somewhere to sleep. The City Council’s guide says the Red Cross does an immediate needs assessment and, if your home is not safe, can help with a hotel for 24 to 48 hours. Everyone qualifies regardless of legal or citizenship status.
- Tell the people who need to know. Your insurer, if you are insured; the super or managing agent; your mortgage company, if you have one, as NYC Emergency Management advises.
What the city does next
According to the City Council’s Residential Fire Emergency Response Guide, the fire department declares the building safe for city agencies to enter once the fire is out. Fire Marshals inspect to determine the cause. DOB assesses the structure and may issue a vacate order, and HPD inspects units for habitability and may issue one too. A vacate order means your unit is not safe to live in. It is not an eviction order.
The first days
- Photograph everything you are allowed to reach, as the Council’s guide tells tenants to do.
- Do not throw anything away until an inventory is made, NYC Emergency Management advises.
- Get your insurer’s instructions. NYC Emergency Management says to contact the insurer for detailed instructions on protecting the property, conducting the inventory and contacting fire damage restoration companies.
- File a renters claim if you have renters insurance, and confirm any written notice requirement, as the Council’s guide advises.
- Register with the Red Cross if you missed it: the Council’s guide says you have 14 days from the incident.
If you cannot go home
DOB’s Vacate Order FAQs set out where to turn. The Red Cross offers emergency shelter for up to 2 nights for eligible households. For longer-term housing, HPD’s Emergency Housing Services can help, and HRA offers emergency assistance for clothes, personal items or furniture lost to a fire or natural disaster. The contact details for each are on DOB’s Vacate Order FAQs page. Rent stabilized and rent controlled tenants can file with DHCR to reduce the rent to $1 a month while they cannot live in the unit.
To get back in, the owner must correct the conditions that led to the order and request that it be lifted, and each agency that issued an order must inspect and rescind it. You can follow the building’s permit filings in DOB NOW or BIS and sign up for job-status alerts at nyc.gov/DOBjobstatus. The guide to fire damage repair explains the rebuild.
Safety when you go back in
- If there is water on the floor, the CDC advises switching off the main power only from a dry place and having an electrician check the system before it is turned back on.
- If you smell gas, the CDC says to turn off the main gas valve, open the windows and leave at once.
- If you use a generator, the EPA says it goes outside, at least 20 feet from the building. Its carbon monoxide can kill in minutes.
- Leave soot alone for now: an extension service’s fire cleanup guide warns that water and cleaning solutions drive soot further into surfaces.
Records you may need
Insurers and landlords may ask for the fire department’s records: a Fire Incident Report, a Fire Incidents Special Report for the property, or a Fire Marshal Investigation Report. Since February 18, 2025, requests go online through NYC OpenRecords. The article on how to get an FDNY fire report explains each one.
When you are ready for the cleanup
In a rental building, the City Council’s guide says building management hires the vendors for clean-up, remediation and rebuilding. If you own your home, the guide to fire damage cleanup NYC sets out the steps in order, and you can send the request form to have an independent local restoration provider contact you. Asking is free and you never have to hire anyone.
Questions people ask
What do people need immediately after a house fire?
A safe place to stay, medicine, documents and keys, and someone to tell. The Red Cross does an immediate needs assessment after residential fires in NYC, according to the City Council’s guide.
How long can the Red Cross put me up after a fire?
The City Council’s guide says the Red Cross can help with a hotel for 24 to 48 hours, then refers families to HPD and HRA. DOB’s FAQs describe emergency shelter for up to 2 nights for eligible households.
Is a vacate order an eviction?
No. The City Council’s guide says a vacate order means your unit is not safe to live in. It is not an eviction order.
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