Tragedy struck a quiet suburb of St Andrews on Saturday when a woman was discovered dead following a house fire in a quiet residential street.
Fire engines were called to an address on Glebe Road shortly after 11.30pm on Saturday evening after reports of a fire.
Officers from Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue will now undertake a joint investigation to determine the circumstances which caused the blaze.
The woman, who lived in a sheltered housing bungalow, has not yet been identified by police.
Students eagerly awaiting the beginning of Raisin Week celebrations passed by the house unaware of what had unfolded the evening before, and neighbours were unsure as to how the blaze began.
Flowers and cards of sympathy had been placed at the door of the woman’s house.
One of the woman’s neighbours, David Mitchell, said he and his family only realised there had been an incident after police had called to his property in the early hours of Sunday morning.
He said: “We didn’t know the woman personally, she seemed to keep herself to herself.
“I would see her only very occasionally when she left the house to get a taxi, she would always say hello to us though.
“I’m afraid I didn’t see very much of what happened, and police informed us about the fire at around 1.00am when they asked whether there was anyone inside the house.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Police in St Andrews were called to a fire in Glebe Road, St Andrews on Saturday around 11.30pm.
“The body of a woman was discovered within.
“Inquiries are at an early stage. There are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances at this time.
“A report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.”
A spokesman for Scottish Fire and Rescue said: “We were alerted at 11.32pm on Saturday October 15 to a fire at a house on Glebe Road in St Andrews.
“Firefighters extinguished the fire using two hose reels and two covering jets.
“The body of a woman was located within the property. Firefighters made sure the property was made safe.”
