Overview
- Emergency crews were called at about 3am on December 26 to the Brimscombe Hill home, where the father, a serving Gloucestershire Police officer, escaped and was taken to hospital.
- Police said a woman in her 40s, a seven-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy died, with formal identification yet to take place.
- The bodies of the mother and one child have been recovered, and teams are proceeding cautiously to locate the second child because the roof, floors and stairs have collapsed.
- Detectives said both parents woke to the blaze and the father tried repeatedly to reach the children via a bathroom window and the doors but was forced back by the fire’s intensity.
- Gloucestershire Police and Fire & Rescue are running a joint investigation and have notified the coroner, with specialist support teams assisting recovery and community welfare.