Two fatal fires broke out within just a handful of miles of each other
Shannon Brown Senior Reporter
15:03, 14 Jan 2026
Two fatal house fires which broke out within just miles and weeks of each other near Stroud are "categorically" not linked, a firefighter has said.
Just two weeks after the Boxing Day tragedy in Brimscombe, in which Nu Shearman, 38, and her children, seven-year-old Eve and four-year-old Ohner, lost their lives, a second devastating fire claimed the life of a man in nearby Chalford.
Firefighters were called to Cirencester Road at around 10.20pm on Monday, January 12 to reports a fire had broken out at a home.
The body of a man was found at the property, Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service said.
Speaking to GloucestershireLive, deputy chief fire officer Nathaniel Hooton said the two incidents were "categorically" not linked.
The cause of the Chalford fire is still being investigated and emergency services are still at the scene on Wednesday, January 14. Nathaniel said the fire service has scaled back its operation at the scene.
"In terms of firefighting appliances, they've been scaled right back, but currently we have two fire investigators working closely with colleagues from other emergency services, especially in the police," he said.
Only one person is believed to have been inside the property at the time of the fire, he added. A neighbouring home was evacuated and around 20 properties lost power after a power line was damaged in the incident.
The electricity has since been restored to all the affected homes. Nathaniel said the home involved in the fire was "significantly" damaged by combustion, smoke and heat, while the neighbouring property was minimally damaged.
He added that there was risk to members of the public: "All that risk has been mitigated by the actions of the emergency services, and obviously we continue to provide reassurance in the local area and supporting the residents that may have been impacted."
Nathaniel message for the people of Stroud is: "We are here for you.
"Our hearts, thought and prayers are with all those impacted, from the individuals, the communities and the emergency services.
"I think that's really important, that we think of everyone at this time and we continue to support them in terms of our key messages around reassurance, as a fire rescue service, we are here to serve the communities of Gloucestershire. We're here to support you.
"That might be in prevention, education, and all the way through to when we respond. But, particularly around any of these tragic incidents, prevention is key.
He added: "Over the last few weeks the surrounding communities have suffered some tragic incidents, and our hearts and prayers go out to all those affected.
"But we continue to work extremely hard with our partners to make you as safe as possible. We're here to support you. We're here to make sure you're safe. Help us to help you."