Ricki Lake's Rental Home Burns to the Ground

How much will it cost to replace my belongings lost in a fire? That's what might have crossed Ricki Lake's mind right after "Thank God, we're alive." The Malibu rental home of the actress and former talk show host burned to a crisp this weekend after she was attempting to refuel a portable heater and accidentally set the couch on fire, says AOL's PopEater

Lake's publicist told PopEater that the fire, which began Saturday at approximately 7:25 a.m., "was very scary, but she and the boys are fine."

The mother of two made an effort to put the fire out but apparently some embers remained and the couch continued to ignite and eventually set the house ablaze, Lt. Rick Erickson of the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept., told the local ABC news station.

As RentedSpaces discusses in "Why You Need Renter's Insurance," fire risk is only one reason. But even if you have insurance, getting appropriately reimbursed for your insurables depends on the steps that you take before tragedy strikes.