A Gloucestershire community is in mourning after a mother and her two young children died in a horrific house fire in the early hours of Boxing Day.
A Desperate Escape Attempt
Fionnghuala Shearman, 38, known as 'Nu', died alongside her seven-year-old daughter Eve and four-year-old son Ohner when flames engulfed their mid-terrace Cotswold stone cottage on Brimscombe Hill, near Stroud. Her husband, Tom Shearman, a serving officer with Gloucestershire Constabulary, managed to escape the inferno but remains in hospital.
Detective Superintendent Ian Fletcher provided a harrowing account of the incident. He explained that the couple were woken by the fire and attempted 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," DS Fletcher stated.
In a series of desperate attempts, Tom Shearman smashed his way out through a bathroom window to try and access the children's bedroom from outside. When that failed, he tried to re-enter the burning house through the same window, but the bathroom was already ablaze. He then went downstairs and attempted to force his way in through both the front and back doors, but was beaten back by the intensity of the flames each time.
Community in Shock
Emergency services were called to the 'well-established' fire at around 3am on December 26. The fire is believed to have started on the ground floor. Investigations into the cause are ongoing, but police have confirmed they are not treating it as suspicious.
The fire caused extensive damage, leading to the roof collapsing and the ceilings and stairs giving way. A woman's body, believed to be Mrs Shearman, and the body of one child have been recovered. Work to recover the second child's body is underway but is progressing slowly due to the unstable structure of the property.
Friends and the local community have been left reeling. One family friend described the tragedy as 'absolutely shocking', while another from the Cotswold community of Chipping Campden called it 'dreadful'.
A Life Cut Short
Fionnghuala Shearman, who was born in Cheltenham, was a successful businesswoman. She ran Hide and Hammer, a company specialising in handmade canvas and leather bags. Earlier this month, she announced the workshop would be closing for the foreseeable future.
The couple had been married for around a decade and were keen runners, often sharing photographs of their family life on social media.
Chloe Turner, a Green Party councillor for Minchinhampton on Stroud District Council, expressed her condolences: "My thoughts are very much with everyone impacted by this tragic incident." She urged anyone with information to contact the police via 101.
