A tragedy befell a family the day after Christmas. A mom and her two young children have died in a house fire.
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The incident happened in Gloucestershire, England. Fionnghuala Shearman and her two children, Eve and Ohner, died in a fire at their home in Stroud. U.K. newspaper The Times confirmed the tragedy, which happened early in the morning.
Fionnghuala’s husband, Thomas Shearman, survived the fire. According to Det Supt Fletcher, Fionnghuala and Thomas woke to discover the blaze.
“They have been unable to get to the back bedroom due to the voracity of the fire. The father has smashed his way out of the house through a bathroom window to try to access the children’s bedroom via the outside,” Fletcher said, per The Times.
According to the detective, Thomas tried to reenter the house. But he had been unable to.
Christmas Fire
“He has been unable to enter the property. Bia that bedroom window,” he added. “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,” he concluded.
Sadly, first responders discovered the bodies of the family after the Christmas fire.
“We are not treating this as a suspicious incident at this time. This would appear to be a tragic accident that’s occurred in the early hours of Boxing Day [as Dec. 26 is referred to in the U.K.],” Fletcher said.
First responders released a statement about the Christmas tragedy, mourning the loss of mother and children.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic news that a woman and two young children are believed to have died following a fire at their home on 26 December,” Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service wrote in a statement.
They added, “Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with their family, friends, and everyone affected by this devastating incident.”
Officials continued, “While such circumstances are heart-breaking at any time of the year, happening during the Christmas period makes this loss feel even more poignant and difficult to bear.”