Indianapolis, United States - February 25, 2025 An 84-year-old woman is fighting for her life in critical condition after a dramatic rescue from a blazing home on the city’s northeast side early Tuesday morning. Firefighters risked everything to pull her from the inferno just minutes before the roof came crashing down. The Indianapolis Fire Department (IFD) received frantic emergency calls reporting a fire around 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 25, but confusion reigned as none of the callers could pinpoint the exact location. IFD spokesperson Rita Reith explained that crews were dispatched to multiple sites before finally locating the blaze at the 5200 block of Windridge Drive, near East 56th Street and Emerson Way. By the time they arrived, the house was a roaring furnace, with flames engulfing 80% of the structure and bursting through the roof. Undeterred, firefighters forced their way in through a rear window, using a Halligan tool to climb inside. Within a minute, one firefighter spotted the unconscious woman lying on her bed, surrounded by danger. They hauled her out through the same window and rushed her to a local hospital, where she remains in critical condition. IFD noted that her closed bedroom door had shielded her from the worst of the smoke, though a fierce fire raged in the attic above. The timing was razor-thin. Just two or three minutes after her rescue, the roof collapsed, sealing the home’s fate. One cat perished in the blaze, adding to the tragedy. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, IFD said, leaving more questions than answers in the wake of this near-fatal ordeal.