Mom and Her 2 Young Children Die in House Fire the Day After Christmas: ‘Unimaginable Tragedy’

A woman and her two young children have died following a house fire in Gloucestershire, England.

On Friday, Dec. 26, Fionnghuala Shearman — also known as Nu and believed to be in her 30s — and her two children, daughter Eve, 7, and son Ohner, 4, died in a fire at their home in Stroud, according to U.K. newspaper The Times, local outlet Stroud News & Journal and the BBC.

Emergency services were called at around 3:00 a.m, per the BBC.

Fionnghuala’s husband, police officer Thomas Shearman, survived after trying to rescue his wife and children, The Times reported.

Thomas, who serves as a police officer for Gloucestershire Constabulary, was later taken to the hospital and has since been released, according to the BBC.

The husband and wife had woken up to the fire, Det Supt Fletcher said at a press conference, per the outlet.

“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.

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“He has been unable to enter the property via 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.

Fionnghuala’s body was recovered on Sunday, while the body of one child has been found, the BBC reported. However, the remains of the other child have not yet been located. 

While officials are investigating the cause of the fire, they believe it began on the ground floor, according to The Times.

“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.

The roof, ceilings and stairs were reportedly destroyed during the incident.

“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.”

Gloucestershire Police Federation also paid tribute to their colleague.

“This is an unimaginable tragedy to have struck a colleague and their family and our hearts are broken for them,” they wrote on Facebook. “It is impossible for us all to properly comprehend and come to terms with what has happened.”

They added, “The Federation are offering as much support as is possible to our colleague at this deeply saddening time. We are also supporting devastated colleagues and teammates of the officer concerned.”

A GoFundMe page, which has so far raised £141,214 out of £190,000 goal, has been set up to raise funds for Thomas that include “emergency accommodation, clothing and essentials, time away from work and the many unexpected costs.”