The bodies of a man, woman and child have been discovered in a burnt-out farm cottage, police say.
They were discovered on Tuesday morning in Reigate, Surrey, following a blaze that appeared to have raged overnight.
The discovery was made in Trumpets Hill Road after concerned friends sounded the alarm.
Police and fire crews arrived at 11.10am and found the bodies inside the wrecked home.
A spokesman for Surrey Police said: "A property was found to have suffered serious fire damage and three people, including two adults and a child, were found deceased.
"Their next of kin has been informed."
Resident Christine Beard said police had spoken to her to ask whether she was aware of the incident.
She said: "The houses are few and far between here so we weren't aware of anything.
"The police have been round but I don't think they know how the fire started or what time it started.
"It's terrible news. We had seen comings and goings from there with horses, and had taken in the odd parcel for them, but that's it."
Mark Wigmore told the Surrey Mirror he had seen the badly damaged property while driving past on Tuesday.
He said: "There were lots of emergency vehicles on the road and at the property.
“The house had lost its roof but the walls are still standing."
A spokesman for the South East Coast Ambulance Service confirmed they had attended and three people were found dead at the home.
A joint investigation between Surrey Police and the Surrey Fire and Rescue Service is underway into the cause of the fire.
