Unless HBC/owner have been negligent it will be difficult for your friend to claim for any damages (assuming that's the road he'll eventually be going down).
Say the fires were nobody's fault (just a guess).... by that I mean there's nothing anyone (except the upstart that started the fires,if it was arson) could of done to prevent it happening.your friend may have to claim using his own insurers (assuming he's insured).
It may seem unfair to be out of pocket because of something that's beyond your control but if he was to claim using 'his' insurance company there is a good chance there will be a 'excess' ie he would have to pay the first £xxx towards the repair costs.
If the fire service issued you with a report saying it was,for example, a electrical fault that caused the fires negligence may still be a issue, but it would be very difficult to prove (legally) without clear evidence pointing to this. (The fire service report alone may be enough I wouldn't know).
There is another way your friend could try and recoup any losses he may encounter and that's through the small claims court......
...good luck and keep us updated if possible
