Firefighters battle the blaze Friday at 1946 Clifton Court near 19th and Ousdahl streets.

When Bryan Cremer heard screaming outside his window on Friday afternoon, he peered out to find smoke billowing from his neighbor’s home.

Cremer said he ran outside and watched as a man carried a woman out of the burning house. He said she appeared to be unconscious.

An occupant of the home was taken to Lawrence Memorial Hospital with minor injuries, Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Chief Mark Bradford said at the scene. The two-alarm fire started about 12:15 p.m. at 1946 Clifton Court, near 19th Street and Ousdahl Road, just south of Kansas University.

David Miller, who lives down the street, said he also witnessed a woman being carried out of the burning home.

“It was just crazy,” he said. “It was definitely a scary situation.”

A firefighter was evaluated for minor injuries on the scene, fire officials said. Three cats died in the fire.

The single-family home, valued at $128,530 by the county appraiser, was consumed quickly by flames, and Bradford said the house appeared to be a total loss.

The American Red Cross was providing lodging, food and clothing for two adults and two children who lived at the home. Executive Director Jane Blocher said a woman and her boyfriend were living at the home and each of them had a child.

Several neighbors watched as smoke billowed from the roof of the home and filled the neighborhood. Flames were seen near the front door, and fire ripped completely through a back corner of the home.

Firefighters battled the heavy fire in a defensive mode, in efforts to stop the fire from spreading to nearby homes. They fought the fire from the ground and air, with the use of a ladder truck.

Investigators were being called to the scene, Bradford said.

“It’ll take some time to come up with an origin and cause,” he said.