The home on O'Neal Avenue was destroyed by fire.

A woman's home goes up in flames after she smokes too close to an oxygen tank, but in a strange twist, oxygen tanks may have helped save her life.

According to fire officials, the blaze started just after 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at a home on the 4000 block of O'Neal Avenue in Pueblo.

The Pueblo Fire Department says the woman was smoking inside her living room with her oxygen tank on, which is believed to have started the fire. The woman tried to put the fire out by herself, but was unable to.

Manuel Jurado, a delivery man delivering oxygen to a neighbor, saw the smoke and pulled the woman out. The woman was unharmed, but lost her two cats in the fire. No one else lives in the home.

The fire also caused significant damage to the house -- mostly to the living room -- making it uninhabitable. The Fire Department says the structure is still sound, so the displacement could be temporary. However, the woman lost most of her belongings to heat and smoke.

Family and A Community Organization for Victims Assistance (ACOVA) is assisting the woman in finding a place to stay.