Wildfire smoke and ash got into your home, the insurer offered a cleaning, and the contents and living-expense fights started. We represent Colorado homeowners and businesses whose wildfire and smoke claims were delayed, denied or underpaid, working with a Colorado-licensed attorney of counsel. Free claim review.
No fee unless we win: if there is no recovery you owe no attorney fee, but you may be responsible for costs, and for the other side's attorney fees if a court orders it.
Why wildfire claims stall
Wildfire claims are long and paper-heavy. Smoke and ash reach homes far from the flames, and insurers often treat a standing house as a cleaning job. Families out of their homes run into living-expense limits, contents inventories with hundreds of lines, and rebuild estimates that don't match what local contractors charge. Months after a fire, the claim can stall just when the bills peak.
You don't have to take the first answer. Colorado law says an insurer may not unreasonably delay or deny payment of a covered claim, and Colorado adds protections after a declared wildfire disaster. We read the policy line by line, document the smoke, contents and rebuild costs, and build the case around where the claim handling fell short.
"Within two weeks of hiring them, the adjuster came back out. Within two months, my claim was paid in full, about 4× what the carrier originally offered."— Marcus T. · Wind Claim
Wildfire claims we handle
If a wildfire damaged your Colorado home or business and the insurer isn't paying what it should, we should talk.
Smoke odor, soot and fine ash settle into walls, insulation, ductwork, carpet and everything you own — sometimes miles from the fire line. Insurers often price a surface cleaning when the home needs testing, HVAC cleaning or replacement of porous materials. We document the contamination and push for a real restoration.
Contents claims run to hundreds of items, and depreciation and pricing disputes add up fast. After a declared wildfire, Colorado law limits how much itemizing an insurer can demand on a total loss of a primary home. We help build the list, check the pricing and challenge unfair depreciation.
Rent, hotels, extra mileage and the higher cost of living away from home are usually covered as additional living expense, within the policy's limits and time terms. We track what's owed and push back when payments stop early.
Rebuilding often means meeting current codes and paying today's construction prices in a post-fire market. Policies treat code-upgrade coverage separately, and many estimates miss it. We price the rebuild your policy actually promised.
Burned structures, ash and damaged trees have to come off the lot before anything is rebuilt. Debris-removal coverage often has its own limit, and site cleanup costs are easy to underprice. We make sure they are claimed in full.
We'll be straight with you: if the policy limits are simply too low to rebuild, the policy usually controls. But we look closely at how the limit was set, whether extended replacement or code-upgrade coverage applies, and whether every coverage part has been paid before accepting that answer.
Other Colorado claims we handle
Colorado wildfire claim guide
The rules behind most Colorado wildfire claims. Your policy and facts control; this is general information, not legal advice.
Colorado law says an insurer may not unreasonably delay or deny payment of a covered claim to its own policyholder (C.R.S. §§ 10-3-1115 & 10-3-1116). A policyholder whose covered benefits were unreasonably delayed or denied may sue for two times the covered benefit, plus reasonable attorney fees and court costs. It is a remedy the law allows, not a promised result.
Colorado Division of Insurance Regulation 5-1-14 generally requires an insurer to pay or deny a valid and complete claim within 60 days of receiving it, unless there is a reasonable dispute about whether or how much it owes. Large wildfire claims are often paid in parts; each part still has to be handled reasonably.
Colorado generally allows three years to sue for breach of an insurance contract, and a homeowner's policy cannot shorten that period. A bad-faith claim generally carries two years. Commercial policies can carry shorter suit clauses, and some deadlines run from the date of the fire. Check your policy and talk to a lawyer before any deadline passes.
Under HB 22-1111, when a primary residence is a total loss in a declared wildfire disaster, the insurer must offer to pay at least 65% of the contents coverage limit without an itemized inventory. The Division of Insurance reminded insurers of these rules on July 6, 2026, after the Aspen Acres Fire. A full inventory can still matter if your losses are larger than the advance.
Living-expense coverage pays the extra cost of living elsewhere while the home is repaired or rebuilt, within the policy's limits and time terms. Keep every receipt, and ask in writing how the insurer is calculating the time and amount left.
A house that didn't burn can still be a covered loss. Smoke and ash contamination is physical damage under most policies, and the question is what it takes to restore the home. Testing and a written protocol from an independent professional are the best evidence.
Total-loss fire claims often turn on the dwelling limit. Read the declarations page for extended replacement cost and ordinance-or-law coverage, and compare the insurer's rebuild estimate with local contractor pricing. A low estimate is a different problem from a low limit.
The Colorado Division of Insurance's Consumer Services Team takes complaints online at doi.colorado.gov and by phone at (303) 894-7490, or (800) 930-3745 outside the Denver metro area. The Division can press your insurer for a response, but it can't act as your lawyer or decide what your claim is worth.
Aspen Acres Fire · June 2026
What happened and what it means for insurance claims. Facts as of September 8, 2026; this section is reviewed by July 2027.
The Aspen Acres Fire started on June 29, 2026 in eastern Custer County and spread into Pueblo County, burning more than 102,000 acres.
Communities around Beulah and Rye and in eastern Custer County were in its path. 324 homes were destroyed, the most Colorado homes lost to a wildfire since the Marshall Fire.
As of September 8, 2026, FEMA had approved Public Assistance for the fire but not Individual Assistance for homeowners in Pueblo and Custer counties. For most families, private insurance is the main route to recovery.
Homes that didn't burn can still carry smoke, soot and ash damage. Ask for testing before you accept a cleaning-only estimate, and keep samples, photos and receipts.
If your primary home was a total loss, ask the insurer in writing about the 65% contents payment Colorado requires after a declared wildfire, and how much living-expense coverage is left.
Many homes in the burn area were second homes. The 65% contents rule covers primary residences, but every other policy right still applies, and we consult by phone and video wherever you live.
Why homeowners call us after a wildfire
We never represent insurance companies or their adjusters.
So there's no question whose side we're on.
Wildfire claims are adjusted by national carriers, regional companies and their outside experts. We never work for any of them, so there's no question whose side we're on.
Wildfire claims are handled on contingency — no fee unless we win. If there is no recovery you owe no attorney fee, but you may be responsible for costs, and for the other side's attorney fees if a court orders it. We explain fees and costs in writing before you sign anything.
Colorado wildfire claims are handled with Steven Flaxman, Of Counsel to Property People Law and a Colorado-licensed attorney (Colorado Attorney Registration No. 52294). We consult by phone and video, from Pueblo and Custer counties to the Front Range and anywhere a second-home owner lives.
How it works
Once an attorney is involved, the insurer deals with us.
Free, confidential conversation. Bring your policy, the insurer's estimates and letters, any contents list you've started, and photos. We'll tell you plainly where the claim stands.
Independent adjusters, industrial hygienists and contractors document smoke and ash contamination, contents and the real cost to restore or rebuild.
A documented demand shows what the loss is worth and where the claim handling fell short. Many claims resolve here. If the policy's appraisal clause fits the dispute, we'll tell you.
If the insurer still won't pay what the policy owes, we can file suit in Colorado state or federal court.
Recent results
Each claim is different. These recoveries show what pushing back can look like.
These results were obtained for clients in other states, not in Colorado. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is evaluated on its specific facts and policy terms.
What clients say
"I was about to accept $11,000 from my carrier for a roof I'd been quoted $38,000 to replace. Property People Law got me $46,500 and handled the whole thing. I literally never spoke to the adjuster again."
"They were calm, clear, and didn't talk down to me. Within a day I knew what my options were. Six months later my house was actually fixed, not patched."
These client experiences come from clients in other states, not in Colorado, and describe individual results. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome; every claim turns on its own facts.
Wildfire claim questions
Usually, yes. Smoke, soot and ash contamination is physical damage under most homeowners policies, even when the fire never reached the house. Disputes tend to be about how much restoration is needed: a surface cleaning, or testing, HVAC cleaning and replacing porous materials.
Tell the insurer in writing, and ask for testing by an independent professional. If odor or residue remains after cleaning, the restoration wasn't finished, and the claim can be reopened or disputed. Keep photos, test results and receipts.
Not always. Under HB 22-1111, when a primary residence is a total loss in a declared wildfire disaster, the insurer must offer to pay at least 65% of the contents coverage limit without an itemized inventory. A full inventory can still matter if your losses are larger than that payment, and we help build it.
It depends on your policy's limits and time terms. Living-expense coverage pays the extra cost of living elsewhere while the home is repaired or rebuilt. Keep every receipt, and ask the insurer in writing how much time and money remain.
If the limit is simply too low, the policy usually controls. But check the declarations page for extended replacement cost and ordinance-or-law coverage, make sure every coverage part has been paid, and compare the insurer's rebuild estimate with local contractor pricing before accepting that answer.
Often, within separate limits. Code-required work is usually paid under ordinance-or-law coverage, and debris removal often has its own limit. Both are easy to miss in an early estimate, so check that they were claimed.
As of September 8, 2026, FEMA had approved Public Assistance for the fire but not Individual Assistance for homeowners in Pueblo and Custer counties. For most families, private insurance is the main route to recovery, which makes the insurance claim more important.
Some rules differ. The 65% contents rule covers primary residences, and living-expense coverage may work differently on a second home. Every other policy right still applies, and we consult by phone and video wherever you live.
Colorado Division of Insurance Regulation 5-1-14 generally requires an insurer to pay or deny a valid and complete claim within 60 days of receiving it, unless there is a reasonable dispute about whether or how much it owes. An insurer also may not unreasonably delay payment of a covered benefit.
Colorado generally allows three years to sue for breach of an insurance contract, and a homeowner's policy cannot shorten that period. A bad-faith claim generally carries a two-year deadline. Commercial policies can contain shorter suit clauses. Talk to a lawyer well before any deadline.
No. We handle insurance claims against your own insurer when it delays, denies or underpays what your policy owes. Claims about a fire's cause are a different kind of case.
We handle Colorado wildfire claims on contingency — no fee unless we win, no retainer and no hourly bills. If there is no recovery you owe no attorney fee, but you may be responsible for costs, and for the other side's attorney fees if a court orders it. We explain fees and costs in writing before you sign anything, and the first review is free.
Ready to talk?
Tell us what the fire did and what your insurer said. Your policy is reviewed with a Colorado-licensed attorney, and we'll tell you straight whether we think the claim is worth disputing. Free, confidential, no obligation. We don't handle car or auto accident claims.
