June 12, 2019 4.28 pm This story is over 57 months old

Tragic death of young family ‘must not be in vain’

Their death has been ruled as an accident
The young Collison family pictured together.

A fire which killed a mother and her two children was an accident, a coroner has ruled, added their deaths “must not be in vain.”

Tributes were paid to the young family after emergency services were called to a house on the morning of Saturday, December 15.

A coroner ruled on June 12 that Justine (33), Isabella (8) and Harvey (5) Collison all died from smoke inhalation.

Gavin Collison, the father, survived but was taken to hospital with serious injuries after the fire.

The family’s golden retriever dog also died.

The significant damage caused by the fire means that it was difficult to determine where exactly the blaze started.

Damien West, area manager for Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue said: “Our thoughts go out to the family and friends of Justine, Isabella and Harvey who tragically lost their lives.

“I hope that the findings of this inquest will bring some closure to all concerned, but we must not let this tragedy be in vain.

“It is vital that we continue to raise the awareness of fire safety to avoid further incidents and I would ask everyone hearing this message.

“We need to ensure that friends, neighbours and families have working smoke alarms, a night-time routine to turn off electrics and close internal doors, and a plan of what to do in an emergency.

“I would finally like to thank all the staff who attended this incident from beginning to end, whose contribution cannot be overstated.”