Audun Klath knows it’s horrible to say, but it would be easier dealing with his insurance company if his house had burned to the ground in the Fort McMurray wildfire.
Nearly seven months after the wildfire tore through his neighbourhood, but miraculously spared his house, he’s made almost no progress on his insurance claim, he said.
“The reality is that we got people around here that have totally lost their house. They’re going to be in sooner than we will be,” Klath said.
“I almost wish our place can be bulldozed and started from scratch.”
The Fort McMurray wildfire was Canada’s costliest insured disaster with damages estimated at $3.58 billion, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
Audun Klath describes the damage to his Fort McMurray home still not repaired seven months after the wildfire. (David Thurton/CBC)
Klath’s house is frozen in time. It’s in the same condition as when he, his wife, their two year-old son returned to their home after a month-long evacuation.
Vinyl siding is crinkled and twisted like over-cooked bacon. Windows seals flail in the wind. The deck has shifted, a sign his foundation is moving after tons of pressure from backhoes brought in to stop the flames.
An engineering report confirms his suspicions that the cracks visible in his basement foundation appeared after the wildfire.
The view underneath Klath’s deck shows his foundation is shifting as the deck no longer lines up with the pilings. (Audun Klath)
Worry over the future of his $700,000 investment has taken a toll on the oil sands worker, so much so he’s taken stress leave from his job.
“It’s frustrating,” he said. “We don’t know when we will actually be able to move back, when they will actually have a plan for fixing our house.”
He submitted an engineering report to his insurance company in August outlining the damage from the smoke, water and intense 1,800 degree Celsius heat, but he has yet to hear back.
“We spend all this money insuring these places. When we need them they are not there.”
Wawanesa Insurance was not available for an interview, but said in an email that both the company and its policyholders benefit when claims are settled quickly.
Melted vinyl siding on Audun Klath’s Stone Creek home. (David Thurton/CBC)
They also advise customers to contact a manager if they aren’t seeing progress on their claim.
“We encourage policyholders that are unhappy with the handling of their file to escalate to a supervisor,” Graham Haigh, vice president of business development.