Firefighters rescued an elderly woman moments before her house roof collapsed during a blaze.

The Indianapolis Fire Department (IFD) received emergency calls about a fire around 4:30 am on Tuesday, February 25, but callers could not provide an exact location.

IFD spokesman Rita Reith said crews were dispatched to multiple sites before locating the fire on the 5200 block of Windridge Drive, near East 56th Street and Emerson Way.

By the time firemen arrived, the house was 80 per cent engulfed in flames, with fire spreading through the ceiling.

Dramatic footage shows emergency responders breaking the glass of a rear window with a Halligan tool to enter the house.

A rescuer found the unconscious 84-year-old resident lying on her bed. They pulled her out through the same window and rushed her to a hospital, where she remains in critical condition.

IFD said her closed bedroom door shielded her from the worst smoke, though a fire raged in the attic above.

Officials said the roof collapsed two to three minutes after her rescue.

One cat died in the incident.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.