MENLO, Iowa — A Menlo woman was killed in a house fire Tuesday morning.

At around 9:20 a.m. the Menlo Fire Department and Stuart Fire and Rescue were dispatched to a house fire in the 400 block of 3rd Street in Menlo, Adair & Guthrie County Emergency Management said. When a Menlo Fire Department firefighter arrived on scene he found smoke coming from a home.

As the firefighter assessed the fire, neighbors stated that someone may still be inside the home, emergency management said.

The Stuart Fire Department arrived shortly after the initial call, around 9:35 a.m., and found heavy smoke and flames coming from the roof of the home. Firefighters began an interior attack while a search team swept the house.

During the search of the home, firefighters discovered a 73-year-old woman at the end of a hallway near an exit. Emergency management said an air ambulance was requested, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy has been scheduled to determine her cause of death.

According to emergency management, the fire is believed to have been burning for some time before the 911 call came in. A portion of the floor was found burned through and furniture had fallen into the basement. It’s believed the fire started in the living room area on the northwest side of the home. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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