A mum and two children killed in a Boxing Day house blaze have been pictured.
Fionnghuala Shearman, known to friends as Nu, died alongside daughter Eve and son Ohner as their Cotswolds home was engulfed in flames.
Emergency services raced to the scene at Nelson Villas, on Brimscombe Hill near Stroud, at around 3am on 26 December.
Fionnghuala’s husband Tom Shearman, a Gloucestershire police officer, frantically tried to save his family as the property burned – and had to be pulled away by neighbours.
Fashion designer Fionnghuala was the owner of a Hide & Hammer – a handbag brand.
Gloucestershire Constabulary previously confirmed that a woman and two children – a seven-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy – died in the fatal incident.
In an update outside Police HQ, Detective Superintendent Ian Fletcher said that the mother and father woke to the flames and tried to reach their children in a rear bedroom.
“They have been unable to get to the back bedroom due to the voracity of the fire”, he said.
“The father has smashed his way out of the house through the bathroom window in order to try to access the children’s bedroom via the outside.
“He has been unable to enter the property via that bedroom window.
“He has then tried to re-enter the property through the bathroom window, by which stage the fire has taken hold in the bathroom and he is unable to get back into the upstairs bedrooms.
“He has subsequently gone downstairs and tried to force entry via the front and the back door but has been unable to get back inside to the property.
“It is at this point our colleagues from emergency services have attended and have started managing and dealing with that fire.”
The fire is currently being treated as accidental, but investigations are ongoing.
Nathaniel Hooton, Deputy Chief Fire Officer from Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, said crews from Stroud and Nailsworth fire stations attended the incident, supported by colleagues from Gloucester, Cirencester and Tetbury. Firefighters worked together to successfully prevent the fire from spreading to neighbouring properties.
The property has suffered extensive damage, and specialist work is ongoing to ensure it is safe for crews to enter.
Fire crews will remain on scene as investigations continue, and police say they are working closely with partner agencies to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident. Firefighters are also continuing to provide safety advice and reassurance to residents in the local community.
Mr Hooton said: “Our thoughts are very much with the family and everyone affected by this devastating fire. We recognise this is an incredibly distressing time, and our crews will remain at the scene to support colleagues from other agencies and the local community as investigations continue.”
