Lessons From a Fire Loss

View Jodie Turri’s story (1-minute video)

Rich and Jodie Turri have three children, son Richie (center) and daughters Riki (left) and Randi. They live in North East, Pa., just outside of Erie.

Everything in Jodie and Rich Turri’s bedroom and the attic was destroyed. The electrical fire started in the garage.

Because of the fire and smoke damage, construction workers had to replace the roof as well as rebuild several rooms in the house. After about six months of construction, the Turris moved back into their home in December 2007.

April 1, 2008 - If you were asked to remember all the possessions you’ve accumulated in your home over the years would be able to?

Erie Insurance policyholder and employee Jodie Turri faced that question last summer when a fire destroyed most of her family’s two-story Pennsylvania home. No one was hurt but the Turris were forced out of their home. The clothes that they were wearing that July day and the money in their pockets were all that they had.

“After the fire, we had to sit down and try to figure out everything that was in our home,” says Jodie.  “People don’t realize what you go through to inventory everything.”

They had to account for everything from kitchen appliances to pairs of socks in the dressers.

Having an up-to-date home inventory will help you get your insurance claim settled faster, verify losses as well as help you purchase the correct amount of insurance.

Fire started in the garage

Jodie was at work on July 31, 2007, when she got the emergency call. It was her 16-year-old daughter, Riki, and she said the garage was on fire.

By the time the volunteer firefighters arrived an unforgiving wind had taken the blaze from the detached garage across a wooden fence to the house, engulfing the attic and second floor bedroom.

Once the fire mixed with the gasoline stored in the garage, it became so hot it sucked water out of the next door neighbor’s above-ground pool and melted parts of it.

The firefighters saved what they could, but in the end, the Turris lost their garage, kitchen, two bedrooms, laundry room and attic. The cause of the fire was electrical.

Recovering

The morning after the fire, Jodie’s ERIE agent, Jim Thompson, introduced her to Carl Good of Advanced Drying and Restorations and representatives from Lake Shore Cleaning Services, who would guide her through the process of restoring her home.

Jim assured Jodie that everything was going to be okay. So did ERIE employees Sandy Benes, property adjuster, and Gary Oehling, property claims specialist.

“Everyone was there for me, but my Agent and Carl Good were the biggest help of all,” says Jodie. “Jim contacted the restoration contractor who would rebuild our house as well as the cleaning company that would eventually clean and return 7,589 of our personal items, including restoring my husband’s prized baseball card collection.”

Home inventory

As an insurance company employee, Jodie was always a proponent of fire safety precautions, such as planning family escape routes and installing smoke alarms, but she hopes her personal story might influence others to complete home inventories.

“I tell people: Take pictures of your home,” Jodie says. “I always heard you should do it, but I never got around to it.  I wish I would have.  It’s hard to remember everything in your kitchen, your closet, your attic.  It’s painful too.”

Regardless of how you complete a home inventory (written list, CD, photos or videotape), the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) recommends that you keep your list along with receipts in a safe deposit box or at a friend's or relative's home. That way you’ll be sure to have something to give your insurance agent if your home is damaged. When you make a significant purchase, add the information to your inventory while the details are fresh in your mind.

To record an assessment of your belongings, refer to this home inventory form or talk to your insurance agent.  The I.I.I. also has a free tool that you can download and a databank to securely store your files online. Visit knowyourstuff.org to learn more.