Dad’s heartbreaking post about ‘family love’ before losing wife and kids in fire

A father seriously ill in hospital following a house fire which killed his wife and two children wrote a heartbreaking post before the tragedy.

Devoted dad Gavin Collinson, 34, shared the post on Facebook along with pictures of wife Justine, 33, and their children Izzy, eight, and Harvey, five, during a trip to London in April.

The trio beamed at the camera as they were snapped on the London Eye, at Legoland, the Natural History Museum and an aquariaum.

Gavin captioned it: "A few holiday highlights from our family trip to London. Oh so tiring but worth it! #familylove."

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This morning, it was confirmed that Justine, Izzy and Harvey had died following the devastating blaze in Collingham, Nottinghamshire.

Gavin had also been in the property at the time of the fire yesterday along with Justine’s mother Diane, who is understood to have been led to safety.

The extent of Gavin’s injuries are not known, however police confirmed he is "seriously ill".

Tributes to the "lovely family" have been pouring in since the fire – as investigators work to determine the cause of it.

Taking to Facebook, one devastated pal wrote: "My beautiful best friend and her two beautiful children all taken in such awful circumstances.

"Gav is still fighting at present.

"I love you so much Justine, Izzy and Harvey."

Another friend posted in the early hours of today: "Woken up in a sweat. Still can’t believe it’s true! Just can’t stop thinking about the awful news of Justine Collison and her children passing away.

"You never know when your last breath will be. She took life by the horns and lived it to the fullest, still nowhere near long enough.

"My head is blown my heart is heavy. Devastated for ALL the family that I grew up with that treasured her and her children so much.

"I’m constantly praying for you all. I have no words to say, just tears and lot of love to you all. So so sorry for your loss."

A third pal described Justine as "beautiful inside and out," while a fourth commented: "She was such a wonderful lady and great mummy."

Speaking to Lincolnshire Live, family friend Hannah Giles Knopp described the fire as the "worst possible thing to happen".

The 27-year-old said: "It’s just a shock. We were supposed to be having a party tonight and they were coming."

She added: "I last had a text message from her the night before the fire. What can you say? It’s devastating."

It is thought that Justine may have once worked for the RAF.

A former RAF worker shared a photo of her dressed in uniform on social media this morning, before news of Harvey’s death emerged.

The woman wrote: "What sad news about one of our own? Justine is bottom left, she was taken too soon with her daughter, my memories of her when I was serving with her was she was full of fun.

"I loved flying with her, RIP Justine."

Nottinghamshire Police earlier gave an update on the horrific fire.

Area Chief Inspector Rich Stapleford said: "Tragically a boy, five, who was rescued from the house and taken to hospital has died.

"This follows the news that a girl aged eight and a woman aged 33 died following the incident.

"A 34-year-old man remains in hospital in a serious condition.

"Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, friends and the community of Collingham at this difficult time."

In an earlier statement, Chf Insp Stapleford said: "Our fire and rescue colleagues were able to remove five people from a property affected by fire.

“Ambulance crews were on scene and provided emergency care at the scene and on route to hospital."

He said a 53-year-old woman – understood to be Diane – was "led to safety and looked after at the scene".

“It is believed that all five people were members of the same family," he continued.

“The fire was brought under control and a joint fire and police investigation is taking place to establish a cause.

“Collingham is a very close knit community and this includes some of the fire crews who responded.

"I know this news will hit the village very hard indeed."

Speaking to Nottinghamshire Live yesterday, shocked neighbour Vera Routledge said: “There were a lot of emergency services outside.

"It was ambulance, fire and police. I could smell the smoke.

"A mum, dad, two children and a granny live there. I don’t see a lot of them as they keep themselves to themselves.”

Family friend Wayne Walker described Justine and Gavin as a "lovely couple" who were "bubbly, outgoing and good parents".

Wayne, 39, told Lincolnshire Live: "We became friends with them when we moved up here. We have known them for a year and a half.

"We have been to parties at their house.

"They were really lovely people. When it’s across the road and it’s your friends and their kids, it’s a big shock."

A Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman this morning tweeted: "Devastated to learn that a five-year-old boy has also died following the fire in Collingham yesterday.

"Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic incident. An investigation into the cause of the fire continues with @nottspolice."

Anyone with information which may help investigators is asked to call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 189 of December 15, 2018.

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