Colorado woman "lost everything" after home catches fire - twice

A 72-year-old Colorado woman returned home from visiting friends on Wednesday to find her home destroyed by a fire.

Two fires, to be precise. 

Laura Carter, of Grand Junction, "lost everything she owned," according to her daughter, Pearl Emmons. 

Crews from the Grand Junction Fire Department responded to the 800 block of 24 Road after a passerby called 911 at 4:48 p.m., according to a social media post from the department. Firefighters entered the home through its garage and brought the blaze under control before it could spread to large trees and a fence surrounding the home. Crews then searched the building and found no one inside. 

Then they rolled up their hoses and left, believing the incident over.

It wasn't. 

Seven hours later, neighbors called 911 to report the building on fire again. This time, "fully involved," with obvious flames and the fire spreading to the trees and fence. 

Again, Grand Junction firefighters responded and put it out. The department investigators are still trying to determine precisely how and where each fire started. 

Notably, the firefighters believed there was no one living there. 

"The residence appeared unoccupied, with doors and windows boarded up," the department stated in its social media post.

Emmons told CBS affiliate KREX that her mother has lived in the city since the 1970s. But she had no homeowners' insurance. Emmons launched an online fundraiser on her mother's behalf.