An Anita woman is lucky to alive after a fire occurred at her home this (Monday) morning. Firefighters from Anita and Wiota responded to the call about smoke and flames coming from the home at 306 Elm Street just before 8:30-a.m.

Fire at 306 Elm St. in Anita (Ric Hanson photo)

Anita Fire Chief Duane Murphy says when they arrived there was a large amount of smoke venting from the windows on the north side of the building and up in the attic. Murphy says firefighters were able to get control of the situation “pretty quick.” He said while the cause remains under investigation, there was a report of a “boom” or a “bang” ahead of their arrival. He says they suspect the air conditioner may have burned through and vented into the home, but natural gas was not immediately thought to have been to blame. The initial investigation leads them to believe that it started on the inside of the home in the attic area, which is where most of the damage occurred. The Chief said there was extensive damage to the home.

306 Elm St. Fire (Ric Hanson photo)

A woman believed to be in her 50’s was in the home, along with her dog. Murphy said the woman had some injuries, but is “very lucky.” She showed indications she had taken in a lot of smoke and soot. She was transported by Anita Rescue to the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic for treatment, before being flown by helicopter to a burn unti in Nebraska for additional treatment. Chief Murphy said her refusal leave the home to try and find the dog, could have cost her her life. He says it’s hard to get across to people that their health is more important than their pets. He says they spent 25-minutes trying to convince her to go to the hospital. He says if a human’s health is in jeopardy, the health of the animal isn’t going to matter if there’s no one around to take care if it. Firefighters and neighbors were still searching for the animal late this morning.