“I couldn’t imagine how another human being could do this to another,” she said.

Rebuilding and wondering

For the first five weeks after the fire, she lived with one of her sons.

She then spent the next nine months living in an apartment while contractors worked to rebuild her home. A glitch with her phone sent her into a panic, thinking whoever set her house on fire knew where she was and didn’t want her to be able to call for help.

“My son came over that night, and I knew it was just to pacify me,” she said. “He reassured me that nobody was after me.”

She thought she might sell her home once it was rebuilt, but life in an apartment building with others who didn’t share her penchant for cleanliness showed her she wasn’t ready. So, she persevered through the bureaucracy of the insurance and contracting world, while shopping to replace her belongings.

“I was fortunate to have insurance, and I’m very thankful for that, but it’s hard to do all of this when you’re all alone,” she said. “And they just don’t build things the way they used to.”