Cop dad desperately tried to save family but was beaten back by flames
THE haunting final moments of a mum and her two young children killed in a Boxing Day fire have been revealed at an inquest.
Fionnghuala Shearman – known as Nu – and her two children, aged four and seven, all died at the family home in Stroud, Gloucestershire.
Her husband Tom Shearman – a serving police officer – managed to escape but tried to get back into the house to save his family.
He was dragged away from the burning home but tragically Nu and the couple’s children Eve and Ohner remained trapped inside.
The family’s pet dog Hutch was also killed in the blaze.
An inquest today outlined Tom’s desperate attempts to reach his family as flames took hold of the family home.
Katy Skerrett, senior coroner for Gloucestershire, said: “When Tom had been spoken to by the police he explained that he and Fionnghuala were awoken by smoke during the night.
“He got out of bed and attempted to enter the children’s bedroom, but the smoke and heat prevented him from doing so.
“He managed to exit the cottage by the bathroom window and then attempted to re-enter the house by the window, but once again, the fire prevented him from doing so.
“Despite several repeated attempts, he was unable to re-enter the house.”
The court heard Nu was formally identified from a tattoo on her body while her two children were identified by DNA analysis.
A provisional cause of death for all three has been given as “exposure to the combustion products of fire, pending toxicology and microscopy”.
The coroner adjourned all three inquests and did not set a further date.
The horror unfolded at around 3am on Boxing Day as emergency crews were scrambled to the family’s stone cottage.
Nu, who ran a bespoke handbag manufacturer, and Tom were woken by the fire and desperately tried to reach their children in a rear bedroom.
The fire destroyed the roof, ceilings and stairs, as well as causing other significant internal damage.
Police believe the blaze erupted on the ground floor and investigators do not believe there were any suspicious circumstances.
Tom was taken to hospital for treatment but has since been discharged.
Paying tribute to his family, he said: “I have stared at my keypad for what seems like an eternity waiting for the words to appear.
“I have no way to thank any of you for the unbelievable out of this world generosity that you have shown to me in the darkest of hours.
“My life, the lives of my loved ones, my friends and the whole community changed on Boxing Day. Most importantly, and tragically, three of the greatest humans to ever grace our presence were taken from not just me, but all of us.
“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.”
A GoFundMe launched to help Tom has so far raised more than £430,000.
