CRANBERRY TWP — A 62-year-old bedridden woman died early this morning when fire tore though her ranch-style home on Fox Run Road, authorities said.

Investigators suspect Denise Francis was smoking a cigarette when the blaze broke out in her bedroom in the front of the house about 1:50 a.m.

Her husband of more than 40 years, George Francis, and a neighbor tried to rescue the woman, who suffered from multiple sclerosis, but were pushed back by towering flames and thick smoke.

“She was an absolute angel,” said longtime friend and next-door neighbor Bernadette Kumer. “She was a devoted friend, wife, mother and grandmother.”

Butler County Deputy Coroner Dennis Trzeciak pronounced Francis dead at the scene at 4:05 a.m. She died of smoke inhalation, Trzeciak said.

Investigators believe the fire started in Francis’ bedroom. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 20 years ago, she was confined to a bed, friends said.

George Francis, sleeping in a bedroom in the back of the house, heard his wife’s medical alarm go off and made his way to her bedroom.

“He opened the door but the fire was too intense,” said Trzeciak. “There was no getting inside because of the heat and smoke.”

George Francis dashed out of the house to get help.