A retired teacher was found dead after a horror fire on Boxing Day as an investigation was launched into the cause of the blaze. The victim, named locally as 72-year-old Susan Woods, was discovered at the home in the Old Catton area of Norwich yesterday. Fire crews had been called at around 4am and the blaze was extinguished “some time later”.
The family of the victim have been informed. A cordon by Norfolk Constabulary was put up and is expected to remain in place for some time and the woman’s family have been informed. One resident said: "I was woken by the lights of the fire engines. When I realised which house was on fire I just wished the house was empty and hoped Susan was not home and had been spending Christmas with relatives.
"Susan was a retired school teacher who had lived in the house for many years. She had been in and out of hospital and was a lovely person. She was a very intelligent lady who spoke several languages. "I would see her every now and again. The last time I saw her I gave her a Christmas card.".
Another added: "She had health issues and was seen at hospital regularly. We would say hello when we saw her. I last saw her out on Monday. "We're very upset something like this has happened. The response of emergency services was amazing.". The neighbours said the popular former teacher had lived in the home for several years. Norfolk Police said in a statement: “Police were called to assist the fire service on Carterford Drive, Norwich at 4.22am today (Thursday 26 December 2024) following reports of a fire at a residential property.
