In CA, independent claims adjusters are allowed to start calling on fire victims 10 days after evacuation orders are lifted.

Some independent adjusters will be taking on case loads of hundreds of new clients after a large event like this. 

My recommendation if you are looking for a third party/independent adjuster for either a residential or commercial claim, is to try to find someone who comes to you from someone you trust. Like any profession, there are A+ adjusters all the way on down.

You should ask how many new cases they will be adding from recent fire victims & what their staff looks like to manage additional case load. 

Below are some high level questions you may want to consider and discuss with them.

Some adjusters will only take cases where they have a high degree of certainty they can increase the claim payout and take a percentage.

Others are offering their services for the many people who are underinsured in this event, but don’t want to dedicate hours of work to personally handling the claims process. If you hire an independent adjuster solely for this purpose without expectation of increased payout, the cost should be much more reasonable - negotiate up front. 

Hopefully this helps someone. I try to answer any questions I can in comments or DMs but please be patient 🙏