Even a small fire can make a lot of black smoke, which can get into your whole house. While you want to save as many things as possible after a fire, you also need to know what must be thrown away. smoke and soot spread much farther than fires, and they can do terrible things to even the most unlikely things. What to throw away and what can be salvaged after a house fire are two things we look at. We look at everything from food to clothes.