Chapter II: Fire insurance.

The fire insurer is liable for all damage caused by conflagration, flashover or simple combustion. However, it is not liable, unless otherwise agreed, for damage caused solely by the action of heat or by direct and immediate contact with fire or an incandescent substance if there has been no fire or the beginning of a fire likely to degenerate into a real fire.

The insurer shall only be liable for material damage resulting directly from the fire or the outbreak of fire, unless otherwise agreed. If the expert assessment is not completed within three months of the date of submission of the statement of losses, the insured has the right to claim interest by summons; if it is not completed within six months, either party may take legal action.

Damage to property caused by rescue and salvage operations to the objects covered by the insurance is treated in the same way as direct property damage.

The insurer is liable for the loss or disappearance of insured items during the fire, unless it can prove that the loss or disappearance was caused by theft.

In accordance with Article L. 121-7, the insurer is not liable for loss of or damage to the insured item caused by inherent vice; however, it guarantees fire damage resulting from inherent vice, unless it has grounds to claim that the insurance contract is null and void by application of the first paragraph of Article L. 113-8.

Unless otherwise agreed, the insurance does not cover fires directly caused by volcanic eruptions, earthquakes or other disasters.

Insurance contracts covering fire damage or any other damage to property located in France, as well as damage to the bodies of motorised land vehicles, entitle the insured party to cover against the effects of wind due to storms, hurricanes and cyclones, on property covered by such contracts, except in respect of the effects of wind due to a cyclonic event for which the maximum surface winds recorded or estimated…

Where the damage covered by an insurance contract is the result of a forest fire, the insurer may, if it is established that the insured has not complied with the obligations arising from articles L131-4, L131-8, L131-12, L131-14 to L131-18, L134-4 to L134-12, L135-2, L162-2, L163-4 to L163-6 of the new French Forestry Code, the insurer may apply an additional deductible of up to 5,000 euros over and above any…

The insurer may provide for a reduction in the premium or contribution under the insurance policy covering fire damage where it is established that the obligations set out in articles L. 142-1 and L. 142-2 du code de la construction et de l’habitation.