More than £125,000 has been raised for Tom Shearman, a police officer whose wife and two young children died in a Boxing Day house fire in Brimscombe, Gloucestershire. The father desperately tried to rescue his family from the burning mid-terrace cottage but was blocked by the intensity of the flames. Mr. Shearman has since been discharged from hospital following treatment.
The fire broke out around 3 am on Boxing Day at the family's Cotswold stone cottage on Brimscombe Hill near Stroud. Tom Shearman's wife Fionnghuala, known as Nu, and their children Eve, seven, and Ohner, four, died in the blaze. The fire, believed to have started on the ground floor, destroyed the roof, ceilings and stairs, causing extensive internal damage.
Detective Superintendent Ian Fletcher described the father's frantic rescue attempts. «They have been unable to get to the back bedroom due to the ferocity of the fire,» he said. Mr. Shearman escaped through a bathroom window to reach the children's bedroom from outside but could not enter. «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,» Fletcher explained. The officer then attempted to force entry through the front and back doors without success before emergency services arrived.
Investigation and Response
Authorities are not treating the incident as suspicious. «This would appear to be a tragic accident that's occurred in the early hours of Boxing Day,» Detective Superintendent Fletcher said. He added that Mr. Shearman, a serving officer at Gloucestershire Constabulary, is working with investigators to understand what happened. «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,» Fletcher said.
A GoFundMe campaign launched on Sunday has drawn support from more than 5,000 people, surpassing the original target of £110,000. The goal has since been increased to £190,000. Temporary Chief Constable Maggie Blyth said in a statement: «This is an unimaginable tragedy and my thoughts are with our colleague, along with all of those involved and impacted by what has happened.»
Community in Shock
Friends of the family expressed their devastation. One friend told the Daily Mail the news was «absolutely shocking». «We are all shellshocked to be honest with you,» they said. «We don't know what happened (to cause the fire).»
Fionnghuala Shearman ran Hide & Hammer, a business manufacturing bespoke handbags from leather and canvas fabric. The family's loss during the festive period has deeply affected the local community and police colleagues across Gloucestershire.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
