INDIANAPOLIS — An 84-year-old woman is alive but in critical condition after being rescued by firefighters from her burning northeast side home Tuesday morning.
Emergency calls to 911 reported a fire but were unable to provide an accurate address, leading Indianapolis Fire Department crews on a search for the source of the flames.
The fire was ultimately located at a residence on Windridge Drive. When the first firefighters arrived just before 5 a.m., they found the one-story home engulfed in flames, with approximately 80% of the structure involved and heavy fire coming from the roof.
Firefighters identified a single window at the rear of the house for entry and made their way inside. Within a minute, a firefighter located the woman unconscious on her bed. The woman was brought out through the same window and handed over to the emergency personnel outside.
IFD said advanced Life Support (ALS) care was established, and the woman was intubated shortly thereafter. She was then transported to Eskenazi Hospital, where she remains in critical but stable condition.
Fire officials noted that the bedroom door was shut, which helped protect her from the heavy smoke filling the house—a crucial reminder of the importance of fire safety tips like “Close Before You Doze.” However, heavy fire was tearing through the attic above, and it was just two to three minutes after the woman was rescued that the roof collapsed into the room.
The fire was successfully brought under control after an aggressive attack by the firefighters at 5:45 a.m. Although the structural damage was extensive, there were no injuries reported among firefighters.
Unfortunately, one cat perished in the fire.
The incident is currently under investigation by IFD Fire Investigations. At this time, it is unclear if there were working smoke alarms in the home.
