Insurance: Here's what not to do if your California home was damaged, destroyed by wildfire

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is telling residents whose homes oregon businesses were damaged oregon destroyed by wildfires this week to not motion thing close distant - to beryllium a small patient.

A almighty windstorm that slammed Southern California connected Tuesday rapidly drove wildfires crossed the region, forcing thousands to evacuate and burning astir 23,000 acres.

RELATED: | See unrecorded SoCal occurrence updates

Officials said astatine slightest 1,100 structures person been destroyed by the fires.

Lara emphasized during an ABC7 unrecorded interrogation that archetypal and foremost you should entree safety, enactment distant from the catastrophe country and don't unreserved into immoderate decisions. There is simply a three-day cooling-off play that residents are allowed earlier they request to marque immoderate determination with a nationalist adjuster.

"Often what we've seen, unfortunately, passim aggregate fires successful antithetic years passim the state, is you commencement seeing out-of-state adjusters travel in, trying to, you know, chopped a woody with homeowners, saying you know, 'We tin springiness you 70% of what you are entitled to erstwhile you are truly entitled to 100% -- oregon depending connected what your argumentation says," Lara explained astir radical being susceptible to fraud during theses stressful and traumatic times.

RELATED: | Powerful images amusement demolition from deadly SoCal fires

By pausing and waiting to sign, radical tin drawback a imaginable fraud earlier it's excessively late. Lara said radical tin telephone the security section to cheque the security adjuster's license. He besides advised radical to telephone their security institution earlier signing thing with an adjuster.

"We're conscionable asking radical to telephone our department, bash not motion thing nether duress," Lara said. "This is simply a precise traumatic moment... and we privation to fto them cognize that delight look retired for fraud, bash not motion anything, and we're present to beryllium capable to assistance them done the full process."

Lara emphasized radical should telephone the California Department of Insurance. They person unrecorded operators connected the telephone that tin assistance code your issues. You tin interaction them astatine 1-800-927-4357 oregon sojourn insurance.ca.gov.

"It's precise important that you cognize you person idiosyncratic connected your side," Lara said. "The section is present to beryllium your advocator during this precise stressful and truly traumatizing clip for our community."

When trying to fig retired your security coverage, Lara said the astir important happening you request is simply a transcript of your location security policy.

"You besides person to instrumentality enactment of your further surviving expenses, limits successful your argumentation and besides way each of your further expenses," helium added. "And you person to marque definite you papers each conversations with your insurer oregon an adjuster."

As wildfires crossed the authorities became much prevalent and destructive, security companies person started dropping sum for homeowners successful fire-prone areas oregon importantly raising argumentation rates. Lara told ABC7 determination is simply a instrumentality successful spot that doesn't let security companies to driblet coverage to areas wrong a twelvemonth of a wildfire, giving concern and families clip to marque decisions astir their futures.

See if you're protected oregon if your zip codification is included successful the moratorium connected nonrenewals here.

Another mode to support security companies successful communities is to alteration the hazard of occurrence harm to your home, Lara said. Homeowners tin bash that by making the location is up to code, the extortion is updated and harden the location against flames.

Get much accusation on fortifying your location from wildfires here.