Wildfires can devastate communities, destroy buildings and infrastructure, and even claim human lives. As wildfires burn throughout Canada, Canadians may be wondering whether insurance will cover damages – the short answer is yes. Since wildfire season is upon us in Ontario, the best way you can protect yourself and your family is to follow these tips.
 
Understanding wildfires
Canada experiences roughly 8,000 wildfires yearly, burning an average of 2.5 million hectares of forest, particularly from April to September¹. Wildfires often start small, go unnoticed initially, and can spread quickly¹. Embers and sparks can blow up to 2 kilometres ahead of a wildfire, igniting materials on or around your home and causing severe damage¹. Extreme radiant heat can come from flames within 30 metres of your home². It can break windows, melt vinyl siding, or set your house ablaze².
 
As wildfires spread from forests or grasslands toward homes, they ignite flammable objects. To slow or stop a fire from directly affecting your home, here’s how you can create breaks in its path².
 
Preparing your home²:

• A Class A fire-rated roof made of metal, asphalt, clay, or composite rubber tiles offers the best protection. Regularly clean your roof of combustible materials.

• Regularly remove debris from your gutters. Consider screening them with metal mesh to reduce the amount of accumulated debris.

• Install 3-millimetre screening or ASTM fire-rated vents. Soffits and fascia should be appropriately fitted to reduce the risk of embers and heat reaching your wooden rafters.

• Stucco, metal, brick/concrete and fibre cement siding offer superior fire resistance, whereas untreated wood and vinyl siding provide little protection.

• Double-paned windows are recommended.

• All doors into your home should be fire-rated and have a good seal.

• Enclose the base of the decks, balconies, and houses with fire-resistant materials.

• If you have a wooden fence, separate it from your house with a metal gate to slow the fire's advance. Remember to cut the grass along your fence line.

• If you have a shed or building within 10 metres of your home, give it the same consideration as your home.

 
Preparing your yard²:

• Ensure you maintain a 1.5-metre non-combustible zone around your home.

• Plant a low density of fire-resistant plants and shrubs.

• Avoid using bark or pine needle mulch. Gravel mulch and decorative crushed rock mulch significantly reduce the risk of wildfire.

• Move your firewood pile 100 metres away from your home.

• Fire pits should be placed far from buildings and trees. Keep the area within 3 metres of the fire pit free of combustible materials. Check with your local municipality regarding backyard fire pit requirements and restrictions.

• Every home should have accessible shovels, rakes, axes, garden hoses, sprinklers, and ladders to assist in snuffing out wildfires.

• Space trees at least 3 metres apart to reduce the risk of fire reaching the treetops and moving into neighbouring trees.

• Surface fires can move quickly, so remove low-hanging branches within 2 metres of the ground.

 
What will be covered?
Under a standard homeowner, condo, or tenant policy, damage and destruction caused by fire will be covered. These policies also often have mass evacuation coverage, which includes a portion for additional living expenses like hotel accommodations and meals. If insured with OTIP, check with an OTIP broker to see the limit on your policy for those additional living expenses. It's important to note that it starts on evacuation day, so keep all your receipts.
 
If you lost your home, the cost of building a new home or purchasing a new one could be covered, but how much depends on the policy you have. In the event of a total loss, your policy includes the remediation of your land.
 
What happens after a fire?
Once you're in the headspace to think about next steps, you should report your claim to our 24-Hour Emergency Service as soon as possible. Detail your claim as much as possible by listing your belongings that may have been damaged or destroyed. Evidence of your belongings could be available online, such as a photo on social media or an electronic receipt. You may not know the status of your home or when you can get back in, but opening a claim will allow your insurer to assign an adjuster and pull in additional resources if necessary.
 
Check out the Government of Canada’s Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (CWFIS), which monitors fire danger conditions across Canada 24/7, to find out if you live where wildfires could happen.
 
If you're not insured with OTIP and shopping for home insurance, call us at 1-888-892-4935.


 

1. Canadian Red Cross – Wildfires: Information & Facts

2. Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction – Wildfire