Woman found dead in Gage County home that caught fire

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Clatonia residents are mourning the loss of one of their own after a house fire Monday night.

Mary Bauer, 63, died in her home, according to the Gage County Sheriff’s Office.

Neighbors said they were scared watching as flames came out of the windows.

Dianne Cerveny, a 32-year resident of Clatonia, said she heard a “big boom” while she was laying in her bed.

“So I got up, I call 911 right away ’cause I didn’t know what it was,” she said. “And then I seen my husband at the front door, and we seen these flames coming up over the trees.”

When crews arrived, they were notified that someone was still trapped in the building.

A neighbor told Channel 8 that he helped one of the house’s residents escape the burning building.

The neighbor said the man had to kick out a second-floor window and jump onto an awning.

That’s when the neighbor brought over a large trash can and helped the man get down safely.

Gage County Sheriff Millard Gustafson said an autopsy for Bauer is scheduled for Thursday morning.

Cerveny said Bauer was a “neat person” who was always there for the community.

“You know, she just was a good person,” she said. “We’ll miss her. That’s for sure.”

Authorities don’t yet know what caused the fire, but there is no indication of foul play, the sheriff’s office said.

An investigation by the Nebraska State Fire Marshal Agency is ongoing.