By Jay Withrow
The Omaha World-Herald
PLATTSMOUTH, Neb. — A Plattsmouth-area woman confined to a wheelchair died in a house fire early Friday when she was unable to get out of the home’s basement.
The fire at 4024 Buccaneer Blvd. was reported by someone who lived in the home, possibly the woman’s husband, about 12:30 a.m., according to Mike Wilson, chief of the Plattsmouth Volunteer Fire Department.
The woman’s name had not been released by late Friday morning. Cass County property records listed the owners of the home as Roy E. and Vanessa J. Lucas.
She and her husband did not have children in the home, which is part of the Buccaneer Bay neighborhood just northwest of Plattsmouth and about 20 miles south of Omaha.
Mindy Bourgeois, who lives three houses from the fire, described the neighborhood as a close-knit community of golfing enthusiasts.
She said her 22-year-old son, Aaron, heard commotion just after midnight. He looked out a window and saw flames on the deck of the ranch-style home that has a walkout basement and three-car garage.
“It was just unbelievable how quickly it went up. It was a huge fire,” Mindy Bourgeois said. “It’s just a terrible thing.”
Authorities had not been inside the home by 7 a.m. Wilson said it wasn’t safe to enter the house until the sun was up so firefighters could see better.
Officials said the blaze may have started in the back of the house near the garage, where two heavily damaged vehicles, a van and a sedan, could be seen Friday.
Bellevue and Murray, Neb., fire crews provided assistance during the fire.
Wilson said winds and cold conditions made fighting the fire “very bad.” Water used by firefighters quickly created sheets of ice around the scene, forcing crews to salt streets and sidewalks to prevent slips and falls.
Authorities estimated that it took 90 minutes to contain the fire.
Another neighbor, Ron Van Heukelom, 67, said “my wife woke me up about 3 in the morning. We went to the front window and there were flashing lights and firetrucks and firemen everywhere.’'
Van Heukelom, who lives two houses to the south of the burned home, praised the firefighters for their efforts in tough conditions.
“I’ll says this: This is a volunteer firefighter department here,’' he said. “My hat’s off to all they did. They were out there for hours in the cold.’'
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