A 50-year-old woman was killed in a fire that destroyed her home on Paradise Lane in the Arrowhead section of Waterboro early this morning.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office said Mary Gilman was discovered in the Cape Cod style home by firefighters after they put out the fire.

Shawn Girard, 46, of Old Orchard Beach, who was staying at the house, is being treated for burns and smoke inhalation at Maine Medical Center in Portland.

Investigators say the fire probably started near a wood stove in a first-floor porch and quickly spread through the building.

Roused by smoke at about 1:30 a.m., Girard ran to a neighbor’s house to call for help.

Investigators said Gilman’s body was found in the rubble believed to be the top of second-floor stairs. They believe she died trying to rescue a family pet.

She died of smoke inhalation said Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Safety.

An excavator later tore down the remaining walls of the house to make it safe for investigators.