A mother and her two young children who died in a house fire on Boxing Day have been named locally.

Fionnghuala Shearman, known as Nu, died alongside her children, Eve, aged seven, and four-year-old son Ohner in the fire which broke out in the early hours of 26 December at the family home near Stroud.

The father and husband attempted to rescue his family but was beaten back by the severity of the fire that destroyed his home in Brimscombe, near Stroud, Gloucestershire.

The husband, who is an officer with Gloucestershire Police, was taken to hospital for treatment but has since been discharged.

A GoFundMe fundraising campaign was launched on Sunday and thousands of people have made donations totalling so far more than £190,000.

Police update on ‘tragic’ house fire which claimed the lives of Fionnghuala Shearman, her two children and the family dog

Speaking at a press conference on 30 December, temporary Chief Constable of Gloucestershire Police Maggie Blyth provided an update and thanked the local community for its support.

She confirmed that the recovery and removal of the bodies of the mother, the children and the family dog have now taken place.

“I want to take this opportunity to thank those agencies that have worked with the constabulary. Namely the fire service and local authorities and voluntary sector for the enduring investigations they’ve been part of over the last few days.

“I (also) want to thank our communities in Gloucestershire that have shown me and my officers huge compassion and kindness over the last 24 hours”, she added.

Emergency services were called to the family’s mid-terrace Cotswold stone cottage on Brimscombe Hill at about 3am on Boxing Day.

Detective Superintendent Ian Fletcher said the mother and father were woken by the fire and had attempted to reach their children in the rear bedroom, but were unable to get there due to the ferocity of the fire.

“The father has smashed his way out of the house through a bathroom window in order to try to access the children’s bedroom via the outside”, he said.

“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’s 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.”

Mr Fletcher said the fire was believed to have started on the ground floor and investigations were ongoing to establish the cause but it was not being treated as suspicious.

The fire destroyed the roof, the ceilings and stairs, as well as causing other significant internal damage.

Mr Fletcher described the anguish the officer is going through at being unable to rescue his wife and children.

“We have multiple witnesses who describe the anguish that he was going through, his inability to get in and save his children and save his wife.

“He is, as you can imagine, in a very distraught way. Sadly, lost his family at a time which is supposed to be a happy festive period.”

More than £250k raised for police officer who lost wife and children in house fire

More than £250k has been raised for a serving Gloucestershire Police officer who lost his wife and children in a house fire on Boxing Day.

The fundraising page was set up to support him after the fire devastated the home on Brimscombe Hill near Stroud in the early hours of Friday, 26 December.

It explains: “[He] is now facing an unimaginable period of grief alongside the very real and immediate practical reality of having nothing left.

“This fund has been set up to help support them with the practical needs he’s facing now and in the months ahead – including emergency accommodation, clothing and essentials, time away from work and the many unexpected costs that arise during a period like this.

“Right now, the most important thing is that he can focus on getting through each day, without the added pressure of financial or practical worries.

“Any contribution, no matter how small, will make a meaningful difference. If you’re unable to donate, sharing this page is just as appreciated – there is no pressure.

“Thank you for your kindness, generosity and support at an incredibly difficult time.”

At a press briefing on Monday, 29 December, Ian Fletcher, Detective Superintendent at Gloucestershire Police, confirmed that when crews arrived at the property, the fire was well-established and the husband was outside the house trying to gain entry.

He desperately attempted to rescue his wife, who was in her 30s, and two children – a girl aged seven and a four-year-old boy – but was beaten back by the severity of the blaze.

Fire crews say they’ve found and recovered the body of the mother, but said formal identification is yet to take place.

On Monday, 29 December, crews at the scene were working to recover the body of one child and were trying to locate the body of the second child.