One person has died in a house fire at a property in Ditchingham, on the Suffolk/Norfolk border near Bungay.
The blaze happened at a two-storey home in Ditchingham, on the Suffolk/Norfolk border near Bungay.
Emergency services were called to Loddon Road, in Ditchingham, at 9pm to reports that a fire had broken out.
Four fire pumps, police and ambulance were sent to the scene.
Speaking last night, a police spokesman said: “Officers were called to an address on Loddon Road by the fire service at around 9.15pm after reports of a fire at a residential property.
“Sadly one person within the premises has died.”
Loddon Road was closed to traffic and a cordon was put in place around the property.
The spokesman added: “Police are working with fire investigators to determine the cause of the fire.”
Norfolk’s chief fire officer Roy Harrold said: “This was a serious fire in a semi-detached house.
“The alarm was raised by a neighbour who tried to get into the property, but was driven back by smoke.
“The rest of the house is smoke-damaged.”
Mr Harrold said that at its peak the blaze was knee-high and created billows of smoke because the walls of the building – believed to be about 100-years-old – contained reeds, which caused smouldering.
The neighbouring cottage was evacuated over fears the fire might spread. The occupants were expected to return to their home late last night.
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