Stroud fire: Mother and two children killed in Boxing Day blaze as sole survivor revealed as police officer

The woman, who was in her 40s, became trapped alongside her seven-year-old daughter and four-year-old son.

Detective Superintendent Ian Fletcher described it as a "tragic incident".

Both parents woke to the fire in the early hours and desperately tried to reach the back bedroom where their children were sleeping.

The father managed to get out through a bathroom window before making a desperate attempt to climb into the children's bedroom from outside.

The "ferocity and heat" of the flames made it impossible for him to reach them, according to Det Insp Fletcher.

He made a second attempt to re-enter via the bathroom, but by then the fire "had taken hold" of the property.

The man was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment.

Gloucestershire Constabulary confirmed on Monday that the father is a serving officer with the force.

Investigators recovered the bodies of the mother and one child on Sunday, though formal identification has not yet been completed.

Efforts to retrieve the second child's remains are continuing, with teams proceeding carefully due to the building's unstable condition.

The investigation has established that the blaze started on the ground floor of the home.

Police have stated they do not believe there are any suspicious circumstances connected to the cause of the fire.

The family home was destroyed in the incident, which occurred during the early hours of the Christmas holiday period.

"We have multiple witnesses to the anguish that he was going through at his inability to get in and save his children and save his wife," Det Supt Ian Fletcher said.

"He is, as you can imagine, in a very distraught way. He has sadly lost his family at a time which is supposed to be a happy festive period."

During a press conference, Det Supt Fletcher added: "We are very much in a process where we're looking to recover the bodies of all of the victims inside the property in a dignified way, in order to return them to the family.

"I can confirm the husband and the surviving member of the family is a serving police officer at Gloucestershire Constabulary.

"Our hearts and prayers go out to him and all of his colleagues.

"He is obviously working with us in order to try and understand exactly what has happened in that property."

Meanwhile, Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service said its crews managed to stop the fire spreading from the mid-terraced home into neighbouring properties but the damage to the house was extensive.

"We were faced with a well-developed, serious fire upon arrival," said deputy chief fire officer Nathaniel Hooton.

"There is significant damage internally with loss of floors, stairwells and a collapsed roof.

"[Crews] tried their hardest to get in there and do whatever was necessary and continue to work extremely hard to support the recovery of the unfortunate loss of life.

"Our hearts, thoughts and prayers go out to our colleagues in the constabulary, local communities and the people who have worked extremely hard in very difficult circumstances."