A 73-year-old Opelousas woman, Mary Ann Sam, was killed in an early morning house fire.

The fire broke out in the 900 block of Montgomery road.

Neighbors said they heard what sounded like a loud explosion around 3:45 a.m. Tuesday morning which alerted them to the fatal house fire.

Leslie Brown, Sam’s neighbor, said when she saw Sam’s house burning across the street she immediately called 911.

“I saw the rear of the house near the garage was on fire. It was shocking. She’s been my neighbor for a number of years and she was very good. A very good, very nice person,” said Brown.

Sam’s family members said she was a retired school teacher.

Sam lived alone and was the only person in the house.

St. Landry Parish Fire Chief, David Miller, said it appears Sam slept through the fire.

“She was found in her bedroom still in bed. She was not alerted by anything,” said Miller.

Brown said her family members and Sam’s brother-in-law tried to wake Sam up.

“We were knocking, calling her name, we were calling her name out. We got no response. Seeing something like that and knowing she was inside it just was killing me,” said Brown.

Miller said investigators are still determining the cause of the fire, but have ruled out arson.

“It seemed to have originated on the other side of the structure here near the carport area where the cars were kept,” said Miller.

The Louisiana Fire Marshal’s Office is now investigating the fire.