Pueblo homeowner loses home in fire on the day of her father’s funeral

Pueblo, Colo. (KKTV) - Sandra Nagel was already dealing with a personal tragedy. Her father had passed away after a battle with liver cancer and her mother had been diagnosed with colon cancer.

She, along with her husband and step-father, had begun the process of moving into her father’s old house. She told me she was excited to carry on a family legacy in the home.

That home, located on Pueblo’s east side, went up in flames on Monday morning. Firefighters tell me there was significant structure damage.

Nagel scrambled to exit the house as the flames grew larger and larger. After making her way into the backyard she went back into the house multiple times. First, to assist her 81-year-old step-father, and again to try and rescue her pets.

Sadly, three of her pets passed away in the fire. Nagel was intentionally hospitalized for smoke inhalation but is recovering.

The family had to cancel her father’s funeral which was planned for that afternoon as all of the funeral arrangements were lost in the fire. Nagel’s father was a 10-year military veteran.

Today, her and her husband returned to the house to salvage whatever items they could. Her husband was able to find his wedding ring, and Nagel was thankful to find her family members ashes which she kept in a jewelry box. However, most of the couple’s belongings had gone up in smoke.

“We got the most important things out which was our lives. We have those and that is the most important thing. Everything else can be rebuilt. It just takes time. It’s going to take a lot of time.”

Fire Investigators tell me the fire started outside of the house on the front patio area, however the official cause is still under investigation.

A fundraiser has been set up to help the couple rebuild.

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