Woman dies in massive house fire in terrifying early morning Boxing Day inferno
A WOMAN has tragically died after a massive house fire on Boxing Day.
Cops and emergency services scrambled to the the scene on Carterford Drive, Norwich, at around 4am this morning after reports of a blaze.
Officers sadly discovered the body of a woman within the property.
Her next of kin have been informed, said Norfolk Police.
The force said that the fire was extinguished but there is currently a police cordon in place which will remain for some time.
The cause of the fire is currently unexplained and enquiries are ongoing.
Fire crews from North Earlham, Wroxham, Aylsham, Hethersett, Acle and Long Stratton all attended the blaze.
An aerial ladder platform from Great Yarmouth was used and the urban search and rescue team from Dereham was also called.
An 80-year-old man and his 67-year-old wife who live across the way from where the fire broke out said they were awoken by police in the early hours of the morning and initially thought they were being “broken into”.
They told the Eastern Daily Press that they were very upset something like this had happened but praised the response of emergency services and others as “amazing”.
Simon Nicholls, 69, a retired solicitor who lives near to where the fire broke out, told the outlet it was a “terrible tragedy”.
A 92-year-old man, who lives on St Clements Hill, near to where the blaze occurred, said he woke up after seeing “flames gushing” outside as well as flashing lights.
Police and firefighters remained on scene at the cordoned off property throughout Boxing Day as the firefighting mission was replaced by painstaking work to investigate the cause of the fire.
Meanwhile, fire and rescue teams could also be seen entering the downstairs of the house with rakes in a bid to clear some of the charred debris from inside.