Women Killed in House Fire - WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI – News, Weather and Sports |

Genoa, WI (WXOW)-- An elderly woman is dead after a house fire in Genoa. The 78-year-old woman is identified as Helen Boardman.

Firefighters say she was in her room when the blaze began sometime last night. Her son came home some time around 11:30 to find the house on fire.

The Vernon County Sheriff says both his office and the Genoa-Harmony Fire Department responded within minutes, but the home was engulfed in flames when they got there.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Preliminary reports indicate it started in the kitchen. The sheriff says the son made multiple attempts to save his mother.

"He immediately ran to the back of the home because of the fire and was trying to gain access to the rear area, which is where his mother was," said Vernon County Sheriff, John Spears. "He made about three attempts to try and save her but was unsuccessful, he just could not do it."

Two dogs were also killed in the fire.