A mother and her two children died in a fire that destroyed their home on Boxing Day, despite efforts from her husband to save the family.
Emergency services were called to the fire on Brimscombe Hill, near Stroud, Gloucestershire, at around 3am on Friday.
A seven-year-old girl, a four-year-old boy, and their mother, aged in her 40s, were trapped in the burning building.
The fire caused the roof of the mid-terrace Cotswold stone cottage to fall in, while the ceilings and stairs have also collapsed.
On Sunday, the body of the mother and a child were recovered but formal identification is yet to take place.
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The father, who is a serving officer within the police force, was able to escape the fire and was taken to the hospital.
The father tried to rescue his wife and two children but was beaten back by the severity of the fire, Gloucestershire Police said.
Detective Superintendent Ian Fletcher told reporters outside the police force’s HQ that the unnamed mother and father were awoken by the fire and had tried to reach their children in the rear bedroom.
He said: ‘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 in order to try to access the children’s bedroom via the outside.
‘He has been unable to enter the property via that bedroom window.
‘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.
‘It is at this point our colleagues from emergency services have attended and have started managing and dealing with that fire.’
Nathaniel Hooton, deputy chief fire officer of Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service, said the house was well ablaze when crews arrived.
He said: ‘It was extremely challenging and they were faced with a well-developed serious fire on arrival.
‘Trying to make their way into the building, trying to rescue the occupants within that building, and also dealing with everything else that was going on.
‘They tried their hardest to get in there and do whatever was necessary, and they continue to work extremely hard to support the recovery of the unfortunate loss of life.’
Police said they are still working to recover the second child’s body, but the property’s unstable condition means officers have to proceed with caution.
The fire was believed to have begun on the ground floor of the house, and there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding its cause.
Local MPs and councillors previously described the fire as a ‘tragedy’ for the local community.
DSU Fletcher added: ‘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.
‘He is, as you can imagine, in a very distraught way.
Sadly, lost his family at a time which is supposed to be a happy festive period.’
A spokesperson for the Gloucestershire Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, said: ‘This is an unimaginable tragedy to have struck a colleague and their family and our hearts are broken for them.
‘It is impossible for us all to properly comprehend and come to terms with what has happened.
‘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.
‘We know the whole police family across the UK – indeed the whole of the UK – will be offering their condolences.
‘And we thank those who have already passed on their thoughts and support. It is appreciated.’
On Sunday, a young girl died in another house fire in a Kent village.
Firefighters attended the fire at a semi-detached home in Hamstreet near Ashford just after midday on Sunday.
Despite neighbours rushing into the burning house to save her, the young girl died, while another child, believed to be a teenage boy, remains in hospital after being rescued.
The house’s ground floor windows had been completely blown out and left charred by the fire, while Santa and Rudolph sleigh decorations lay deflated in the front garden.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is currently ongoing.
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