Question: Why does she break down in tears after the fire?
Answer: The author burst into tears, when she realised that her cat was no where to be seen. The loneliness, she experienced in her new school, the unfortunate fire, the sorrow of seeing one’s house being brought down to ashes, uncertainty of the future, and her missing cat, was too much for the teenager to bear. She burst into tears as she could not control her bursting emotions any more.