--- canonical_url: "https://buildwithwave.com/docs/estimates/fire-estimates" title: "Fire estimates" description: "Write fire mitigation or smoke cleaning on a fire estimate, add drying when the fire was put out with water, and write the put-back as a Fire Rebuild estimate on the same job." group: "job-types" lane: "how-to" status: "published" publishedAt: 2026-09-26 updatedAt: 2026-09-26 sidebarOrder: 30 tags: ["fire", "smoke", "mitigation", "rebuild", "how-to"] relatedSlugs: - "estimates/repairs-estimates" - "estimates/water-mitigation-estimates" - "estimates/estimates-on-one-job" - "estimates/overhead-profit-and-minimums" - "reference/categories" sidebarLabel: "Fire estimates" --- A fire loss usually turns into more than one document: the mitigation or the smoke cleaning now, and the rebuild later. Wave writes each one as its own estimate on the same job, so each can be sent and approved on its own timeline. ## What a fire estimate covers A fire estimate is one of two things: - **Fire mitigation:** the tear-out and dry-down after a fire, when damaged materials have to come out. - **Smoke cleaning:** lighter smoke damage, cleaned in place. One fire estimate carries one of these. If the loss needs both, ask Wave for a second fire estimate on the same job. The rebuild (new drywall, paint, flooring and everything that gets reinstalled) never rides on the fire estimate. It's a separate Fire Rebuild estimate, explained below. ## Start a fire estimate 1. On Home, type or dictate what happened in the command box, or open the job and tell Wave in the chat beside it. For example: "Fire mitigation estimate for the Garza house at 12 Elm, kitchen and hall." 2. If you only say "fire," Wave asks which part of the fire job you're writing. 3. Answer Wave's questions. It asks only what changes the estimate, and it reads the job's notes first so it doesn't ask what your team already wrote down. 4. When Wave adds work on its own because it goes with what you described, it tells you in a short line. Delete anything that doesn't apply. Starting the estimate uses one estimate credit. Wave needs a real US ZIP code or Canadian postal code before it prices anything. You can attach photos in the chat. Wave describes what's visible and compares it with the estimate. It never identifies hazardous materials from a photo, so testing decisions stay with you. For specialty work Wave doesn't price, give Wave your sub's written scope and price. It goes on the estimate as its own custom line at the sub's number. ## Water and drying on a fire job Fires are often put out with a lot of water. On a fire mitigation estimate, Wave can include drying equipment for that water. When it does, the job gets a drying log, the same way a water job does. - Drying logs come with Basic and above, and with the free trial. - The drying log is AI-generated from the estimate and local weather. Your techs should verify readings daily, by typing them into the grid on the **Drying** tab or by telling Wave. - A smoke cleaning estimate has no drying equipment and no drying log. - A job has one drying log. Later estimates on the job don't create a second one. If the water side of the loss is its own scope, ask Wave for a water estimate on the same job. See [Water mitigation estimates](/docs/estimates/water-mitigation-estimates). ## The rebuild: a Fire Rebuild estimate When you're ready to price the put-back, ask Wave in the job's chat: "start the fire rebuild." A confirm box names the Fire Rebuild estimate and says it uses one estimate credit. Nothing is charged until you confirm. A Fire Rebuild is a repairs estimate for a fire loss: the same conversation and the same kind of scope as any put-back. See [Repairs estimates](/docs/estimates/repairs-estimates). On a job with a fire estimate, Wave doesn't offer the next estimate on its own. You decide what comes next and ask for it, whether that's a second fire estimate, a water estimate, contents or the rebuild. ## Minimum charges When the work on a fire estimate comes in under a minimum, Wave adds a minimum charge line and tells you it did. If you don't want it, remove it with a line edit. See [Overhead & Profit and minimum charges](/docs/estimates/overhead-profit-and-minimums). ## Export and share Use the job's **Export** button: - **PDF.** Build the fire estimate as an estimate or an invoice, and add the job's other estimates and the drying log to make one packet. - **Xactimate export (.ESX).** Wave works with Xactimate, and the export comes with Basic and above. Before you download, Wave checks the estimate and names any lines that can't travel. On fire estimates, expect some lines to be held back. Choose **Download anyway** to get the rest, or copy the line items to enter them in Xactimate yourself. - **QuickBooks.** On Basic and above, send a draft invoice. To give a customer or adjuster a live view, create a share link. See [Share an estimate](/docs/collaboration/share-links). ## Don't see fire estimates? Fire estimates are part of Wave, but a few accounts don't have them switched on. If Wave tells you fire estimates aren't available on your account, open **Contact us** from the account menu and tell the team. ## Related - [Repairs estimates](/docs/estimates/repairs-estimates): the put-back, including the Fire Rebuild - [Water mitigation estimates](/docs/estimates/water-mitigation-estimates): water losses and the drying log - [Several estimates on one job](/docs/estimates/estimates-on-one-job): how the fire job's estimates live together - [Overhead & Profit and minimum charges](/docs/estimates/overhead-profit-and-minimums): what Wave adds and how to remove it - [What Wave estimates](/docs/reference/categories): every kind of work Wave builds