A Menlo resident died in a house fire Tuesday morning.

According to Adair and Guthrie County Emergency Management Coordinator Jeremy Cooper, a Menlo resident called 911 reporting seeing and smelling smoke at a nearby house around 9:35am. The Menlo and Stuart Fire Departments were dispatched, with a lone Menlo firefighter arriving on scene first. The firefighter was informed that it was believed that someone was still inside the home, and he attempted to get the home owner’s attention, to no avail.

The Stuart Fire Department then arrived on scene to see fire coming out of the home near the roof of the wall attached to the garage, and kicked in the door to begin fighting the fire. Firefighters quickly located the resident, a 73 year old woman, and extracted her from the building as they fought the fire. Cooper says that the fire was out within four minutes of Stuart FD’s arrival, and a call for an air ambulance was placed within eight minutes of their arrival, though that call was quickly canceled, as it was determined that the victim had perished.

Significant fire damage is reported, with part of the floor caving into the basement and studs exposed and burned, showing that the fire had been going on for some time. Cooper explains that fire marshalls are still investigating the fire. He adds that an official press release from the Adair and Guthrie County Emergency Management Agency will be sent out hopefully sometime today. Raccoon Valley Radio will bring more information as it becomes available.