ROGERS, Ark. --
Fire officials are investigating the cause of a fire that left one Rogers woman dead.
The fire broke out around 11 a.m. Friday morning at the corner of Lilac and G Streets.
Neighbors tried saving the woman who lived inside, but it was already too late.
They said the flames were far too fierce to get inside.
And what was left behind is a home still standing, but the inside completely burned.
I came out of my house and I couldn't even breathe. It was like foggy. You couldn't see nothing, said neighbor Carina Aldape. Flames through the window and through the garage.
Neighbors said someone tried to save the woman who lived across the street, but the smoke was already too heavy.
My brother went in the front window. It was a little bit open, and he went in there to see if he could open it. And the flames started shooting out of the front of her house, said neighbor Cynthia Wagner.
Firefighters arrived within minutes, but when they conducted an immediate search inside, it had already been too late.
Upon arrival, they found heavy fire and smoke and made an interior attack. They put the fire out and one victim was pulled. It was confirmed she was deceased, said Michael Dean, public information officer of the Rogers Fire Department.
It took firefighters minutes to put the flames out, but they had to put a hole in the roof to let the fire die.
Right now, officials have not yet released the identity of the victim, but neighbors said her name was Celeste.
They said she was a welcoming neighbor and wish they could have done more to save her.
Really sad that I couldn't do more for her, said Wagner.
As for the cause of the fire and cause of death, the fire marshal is still investigating.
Neighbors said the woman who lived inside was a smoker and the believe she might have fallen asleep while smoking a cigarette.
The woman's body is being sent to the state crime lab for an autopsy.
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