Two people have died in a house fire in the village of Kirby Muxloe in Leicestershire.

Police said fire services were called to a property in Church Road, in the centre of the village, at 3.30am. Officers and an ambulance arrived shortly afterwards and a man and a woman were pronounced dead at the scene.

The victims have yet to be formally identified. A cordon was in place at the property as police and fire officials investigated the circumstances of the blaze. A fire investigation dogs vehicle could be seen on an adjacent road, and the gas supplier Cadent also had vehicles nearby.

Wayne Gale, of Leicestershire fire and rescue service, said: “When the first crews arrived it was a severe, well-developed fire on the ground floor. We entered with full breathing apparatus but unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we couldn’t save the people at the property. Our condolences and sympathies go out to the family.

“Currently we’re conducting a joint investigation with the police to determine the cause of the fire, which is likely to take the rest of the day.”

Separately, the fire service said it had concluded its investigation into another fatal fire, on Saffron Lane in Leicester last month. It said the blaze, in which 50-year-old woman died, was thought to have been caused by smoking material.