Trainee paramedic's body found after house fire

A trainee paramedic known for her "kindness, professionalism and dedication to patient care" has died in a house fire, an ambulance service said.

Jess McKee was one of five people inside a house in Sycamore Covert, Thetford, Norfolk, when it caught fire on Saturday. The fire service said it was called to the blaze at 02:24 BST.

Norfolk Police said four people managed to escape the property, but a woman's body was found inside the address and she was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency services.

McKee was an emergency medical technician based in Suffolk and was due to graduate as a qualified paramedic in January, the East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) said.

Neill Moloney, the chief executive of EEAST, said: "Jess was a much-loved colleague, known for her kindness, professionalism and dedication to patient care.

"She had a bright future ahead of her and was just a few months away from achieving her ambition of becoming a paramedic, which makes this loss all the more tragic.

"On behalf of everyone at EEAST, I would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to Jess's family, friends and loved ones. Our thoughts are with them at this incredibly difficult time.

"Jess's death has deeply affected colleagues across our organisation, and we are continuing to support those impacted."

The cause of the fire was being investigated, the force added.

Police said McKee's death was currently being treated as unexplained, but was not believed to be suspicious.

A cordon around the address that was put in place while officers and fire investigators worked to determine the full circumstances of the fire has since been lifted.

Four fire crews attended and took until 11:10 on Saturday to put out the fire.

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