Police investigate death of woman in Kilwinning house fire
Police have launched an investigation following the death of a woman in a house fire in North Ayrshire.
The body of the woman, who has still to be formally identified, was found in the house in Glenapp Place, Kilwinning, at about 02:00.
Fire crews rescued a man who was treated for severe smoke inhalation. A woman for a neighbouring property was also treated for smoke inhalation.
Police said the woman's death was being treated as unexplained.
A post-mortem examination will be carried out to establish how she died.
Det Insp Stevie Wallace, of Police Scotland, said: "I would appeal to anyone who was in the area of Glenapp Place, Kilwinning, around 2am on Tuesday morning to get in touch."
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said three fire appliances were mobilised to the scene from Kilwinning, Ardrossan and Kilmarnock.
Incident commander Scott Cunningham said: "Our crews arrived at this incident within minutes of the 999 call but they were already faced by a well-developed fire producing large amounts of toxic smoke.
"We immediately committed teams to the building and a total of eight firefighters in breathing apparatus were operating inside the property, conducting both search and rescue and firefighting duties.
"Their skill, courage and professionalism ensured a man was rescued from the smoke-filled building and taken to hospital, however tragically a woman found inside the property was confirmed to have died at the scene."