A police sergeant has spoken of his unimaginable grief after his wife and two young children died in a devastating house fire in the Cotswolds on Boxing Day.
A Father's Unbearable Loss
Tom Shearman, a sergeant with Gloucestershire Police, lost his wife Fionnghuala, known as Nu, their seven-year-old daughter Eve, and four-year-old son Ohner in the blaze. The family dog, Hutch, also perished. The fire broke out at their home on Brimscombe Hill, near Stroud, at around 3am on Friday, 26 December 2025.
In a moving statement, Mr Shearman described his family as "three of the greatest humans to ever grace our presence". He said: "I cannot begin to describe the anguish and trauma of the events of Boxing Day 2025. My family had its very core, its very essence, ripped from it in the most violent way."
Desperate Attempts to Rescue Loved Ones
Detective Superintendent Ian Fletcher outlined the harrowing sequence of events. Tom and Nu were woken by the fire and tried desperately to reach their children's bedroom. "Due to the ferocity of the intense fire, the parents were unable to get to the bedroom," he said.
Mr Shearman then smashed a bathroom window to escape and tried to reach the children from outside, but was unsuccessful. When he attempted to re-enter the house, the fire had spread too far, blocking all entry points.
Emergency services, including Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service and ambulance crews, attended the scene but could not save Nu, Eve, and Ohner. The fire is understood to have started on the ground floor and is not currently being treated as suspicious, though its cause remains under investigation.
An Outpouring of Community Support
In the wake of the tragedy, a GoFundMe page was set up to support Mr Shearman. It has raised more than £340,000, a sum he described as leaving him "genuinely humbled beyond comprehension".
He expressed his profound thanks for the support from friends, the community, and the emergency services who responded. "My family and friends have rallied around and provided me with more than the bare essentials," he said. "I have a roof over my head, clothes on my back, food - most importantly company and compassion. I will heal."
Mr Shearman also vowed to continue the legacies of his family: his wife's talent for craft and design, his daughter Eve's love of books and writing, and his son Ohner's compassion.
The family has requested that any further floral tributes be taken to Holy Trinity Church in Minchinhampton, with existing tributes from Brimscombe Hill having been transferred there safely.
Concluding his tribute, Mr Shearman urged others: "Please all take every opportunity to hug your loved ones, tell them you love them... Do it now." He signed off: "Now go light up the darkest corners and the black sky. In memory of Nu. Eve. Ohner. Hutch."
