Coroner rules Boxing Day fire deaths accidental

A Gloucestershire coroner has concluded that the deaths of Fionnghuala Shearman and her two children in a Boxing Day house fire were accidental, after accepting that the blaze probably began in the living room with an electrical ignition source.

Shearman, 38, known as Nu, died with her daughter Eve, seven, and son Ohner, four, when fire swept through their home in Brimscombe, near Stroud, on December 26, 2025. The family’s dog, Hutch, also died. Senior coroner Katy Skerrett recorded the cause of death for all three family members as exposure to the combustion products of fire.

The inquest heard that fire investigator Leroy Hughes believed the fire started in the living room and likely involved electrical devices connected to the domestic power supply. Skerrett accepted that it probably began there and said an electrical ignition source was probable. The reporting did not identify a particular appliance or electrical fault.

Hughes, a station manager with Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, said soft furnishings and the family’s Christmas tree likely contributed to the fire’s spread. The blaze destroyed the roof, ceilings and stairs and caused extensive internal damage. There...