A woman died in a house fire in a residential Dunfermline street on Monday.
It is believed to be the second tragedy to befall the family recently.
The woman, thought to be in her 60s, lived alone following the death of her husband some weeks ago, according to one neighbour.
Fire crews and the police were alerted to the scene of the tragedy in Husband Place shortly after noon.
It is believed that a close neighbour raised the alarm after smelling smoke from the mid-terraced house in the quiet street just off Tweeddale Drive.
Paul Whiting lives across the road. He said he thought the woman, who has not been named, suffered from MS. He was unsure as to when the fire had broken out but said she had been fine the previous day.
“I don’t know when the fire started, if it was the evening or this morning,” he said. “We saw all the windows were black.”
Neighbours raised the alarm, he added. They sought the help of Mr Whiting’s father Alan, a retired paramedic.
“They asked his advice. Dad lifted the letterbox and smelled the smoke. The fire brigade were called and they took over.”
Family members declined to comment.
The Scottish Ambulance Service confirmed that it was called at 12.23pm to attend the incident. One fire crew remained outside the house, which was cordoned off, in the afternoon.
A spokesman for police said: “Fife Constabulary is in the early stages of an investigation into the death of a woman at house fire in Husband Place, Dunfermline.
“A joint investigation with Fife Fire and Rescue Service is under way into the cause of the fire.”