Mother and two children aged four and seven confirmed dead in Boxing Day fire

A mother and two children have died after a Boxing Day fire in Stroud, Gloucestershire.

The father, a serving member of Gloucestershire Police, survived and was taken to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital for treatment. The mother and two children, a seven-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy, were initially unaccounted for, but police have since confirmed their deaths.

Temporary chief constable Maggie Blyth said the bodies of the two children and the family dog had now been recovered from the property. Authorities said the fire is not suspicious and is a "tragic accident".

An online fundraising appeal has been launched for the father, police officer Thomas Shearman, after the deaths of his wife, Fionnghuala Shearman, known as Nu, and their children, Eve and Ohner. More than 8,000 people have made donations totalling more than £200,000.

The original £110,000 target has now been increased again, this time to £350,000. Emergency teams were called to a property on Brimscombe Hill, near Stroud, at around 3am on 26 December, a Gloucestershire Police spokesperson said.

Officers attended the scene alongside crews from Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service and the ambulance service. The mother and father awoke around 3am and tried to get to their children, but were unable to due to the ferocity of the fire, DSI Ian Fletcher said in a briefing on Monday.

"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." However he was unable to get back into the property. Mr 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.

Read more from Sky News:Man shot dead by police after car crashCold temperatures forecast for new year Deputy Chief Fire Officer Nathaniel Hooton said firefighters worked extremely hard to get in as the fire raged in the house. There is significant damage to the property internally, and work continues to try to find out what started the fire, he said.

Speaking near the scene, Reverend Peter Francis, the vicar of Holy Trinity Church, Brimscombe, told Sky News West of England and Wales correspondent Dan Whitehead: "It's an absolutely terrible tragedy. It's really shocking.

It's impacted people so deeply. "There are no words to express what has happened.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and with all who are grieving at this time.".