Homes across B.C. have been decimated by wildfires. Here's what to know about your insurance

It's been five years since Tricia Thorpe's home was razed to the ground with hundreds of others in the deadly 2021 Lytton wildfire.

"When you come home and there's nothing left standing and everything is levelled, you don't know where to start," she said.

Thorpe, who has since rebuilt , faced a daunting challenge: her home wasn't insured.

"I was told flat out that fire was an insurable event. And because I had no insurance, not to expect any government help, which was really harsh at the time," she said.

There's still no official tally of how many homes have been lost to wildfire so far this year. But the number of families who have lost everything could number in the hundreds.

Experts who have worked through the aftermaths of wildfires say even those who are fully insured will face a long, complex process as they begin to rebuild.

"The best thing you can do for yourself is make sure you understand your insurance policy," said Liam Corcoran, a lawyer and adjuster with Pythe Navis MDP.

"Nobody really spends the time to read or look at it unless something goes wrong."

Corcoran said most policies insure on an "all risks" basis, which covers damage from fire, including wildfires. But that doesn't mean the replacement process will be quick or easy.

"You're going to get what's called actual cash value ... you're not going to get the cost to fully buy, rebuild a brand new home unless you actually rebuild a brand new home," he said.

"So you're now in the midst of a construction project and that that could take years."

Annick DeGooyer lost her West Kelowna home in the 2023 McDougall Creek wildfire.

Her family had painstakingly documented their property in advance of the fire, a decision that assisted her insurance claim.

"We videotaped every room and opened every drawer and every cupboard, and so when we had to go back and do the claim for our contents, we were able to go through each room, freeze the video and write down all the things we saw," she said.