THE body of a 54-year-old woman was found at the scene of a serious blaze in a North Yorkshire village on Friday, the fire service has confirmed.

The alarm was raised after the blaze broke out at the house, next to North Cowton Service Station on the B1263 near the junction for East Cowton and North Cowton, between Northallerton and Darlington, at about 2.10pm.

The fire was so severe that fire crews were unable to enter the house until yesterday, when the woman's body was found.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said: "Crews were faced with a fully developed fire which made the property structurally unsafe.

"They revisted the scene again today, Saturday 30 May, to undertake further work to make the site safe enough for fire crews and police officers to enter the premises and conduct investigations into the cause of the fire.

"As a result of this work, the Service can now sadly confirm, that a 54-year-old woman died at the incident "

North Yorkshire Police investigators are continuing to work alongside fire investigation officers to determine the cause of the fire. Investigations are expected to continue until Monday afternoon.

Police said they were not yet in a position to name the woman, and said officers would be on the scene until the investigation was completed.

The garage and filling station were just metres away from the blaze and North Yorkshire Police warned bystanders to keep a distance until it had been declared safe.

Inspector David Murray said: “Police arrived around 3pm and by around 4pm it was under control but we had to make sure the fire was fully out.

“We were on hand to provide assistance with the road closure and we will stay on the scene until we are satisfied it is safe.”

Water was still being dumped on the property in the effort to make the building safe and ensure the smouldering had stopped at 4pm yesterday, two hours after it was first reported.

A fire service spokesman said: “Four appliances attended the scene including an aerial appliance from Durham and Darlington fire crews."

A spokeswoman for the ambulance service said: “A rapid response car and ambulance were called to the scene at 2.06pm, but no one has been taken to hospital or treated at the scene.

“The ambulance service will remain as a precaution until the incident is completely over.”

The B1263 was closed and drivers were advised to avoid the area.

Northallerton Police said on Saturday morning that the B1263 would be closed near the scene of the fire for most of the day. It is also likely to be closed today (Sunday).