MERIDIAN, Texas — The Hydra Fire is still burning in Bosque County, and families are being reminded how quickly a wildfire can threaten their homes.
Randy Thomas, a Meridian resident, said having fire protection on his home has always been a priority.
"Very, very important. Yes, ma'am. This proves it down here with this fire in Meridian."
The Hydra Fire has burned more than 900 acres in Bosque County. When asked what motivated him to make sure he had fire insurance, Thomas said the answer was simple.
"Well, I just I've seen people suffer when they didn't have it. And when you have up to $100,000 in the house, you need to do something to be sure that you can replace it if you have a fire."
But having a policy does not always mean every loss will be fully covered. Jason Sneed, owner of Sneed Insurance in Meridian, said families need to understand how much coverage they actually have.
"So most of your standard home policies will cover a fire. And if your home is still under a mortgage, most of the time that's automatic. However, what type of coverage that is, how much it covers, may not be very clear if you don't have a local agent to go and talk to and explain it to you, because it's all business, legal terms and whatnot. So you may think that you're covered, but you may not actually have the coverage you think you have."
Creating a home inventory by taking photos or videos of belongings before evacuations can help document what could be lost.
When asked how families can identify whether they have the coverage they need, Sneed said speaking with a licensed agent is the most important step.
"Speaking to an agent that's the biggest thing in today's world. I know it's really fun to go on an app and say, 'Yeah, I'm gonna get the cheapest I can get.' But there's a reason why insurance agents are licensed to be insurance agents, because I can tell you what's best for you, and you can make that decision on your own whether you want it or not. But at least a local agent who knows you, who knows the community, can advise you."
Sneed Insurance advises families to review their policies as the Hydra Fire remains active.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
