The family of a woman who perished in a house fire have paid tribute to her.

Retired Dover schoolteacher Shonach Roberts, 77, was described as a "pillar of the community" who had many friends and liked helping people.

Mrs Roberts, who had taught at Dover College, died after fire engulfed her home in Clarendon Street, Dover, on Monday night.

Speaking this morning to KentOnline her family said: "She had many friends and was regarded as a pillar of the community.

"She really enjoyed helping people and after a 40-year teaching career, took up mentoring foreign students for university entrance and became an occasional personal tutor.

"She was very proud of her extended family but was especially proud of her two sons."

Six fire crews were called to the burning house at 7.45pm.

The blaze destroyed the house, leaving a gaping hole in the roof.

Mrs Roberts died at the scene and investigations continue into what caused the fire.

Police said that there were no suspicious circumstances and that a report was being prepared for the coroner.

Mrs Roberts was born Shonach MacDonald-Fraser, of Scottish lienage in Lytham-St-Anne’s, Lancashire.

It was there her father, Ian, was station as a Lancaster bomber pilot during the Second World War.

She qualified as a secondary school teacher at Glasgow University and taught at several south London secondary schools.

Mrs Roberts had twins with her first husband, Robert.

After that marriage ended she taught at a number of independent preparatory school.

She met her second husband Nicholas, also a teacher, and moved with her family to east Kent in the late 1970s.

Mrs Roberts then taught at Dover College where she became head of a new English as a second language department.

She shone in this role and subsequently also taught at English language summer schools, was UK co-ordinator for an international language programme company.

Having separated from her second husband, she moved to her Clarendon Street home in the mid-1980s.

In her 60s she studied for and was awarded a Master’s Degree in education from the University of Kent at Canterbury.

Mrs Roberts, who became a grandmother, enjoyed cooking, making marmalade, most things French and living in Dover.

She played hockey into her 50s, but, in later life, suffered from increasingly severe mobility problems.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service remained at the scene for 21 hours.

Neighbours at the early stages of the blaze heard an explosion, which turned out to be the windows of the stricken home shattering.

The flames had spread through the property and into the roofspace, causing a partial roof collapse.

Crews, working in rain and strong winds, wore breathing apparatus and used main jets and hose reel jets to put out the flames.

Neighbours were warned to close their windows to keep out smoke and the next-door house was evacuated. Crews stopped the fire spreading there and to other properties.

Police sealed off the street at both ends to pedestrians and traffic.

By 7am next day crews were damping down and the fire was completely out by 9.10am.

An urban search rescue team arrived to make the building safe following partial collapse.

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