A family who lost a mother and three children in a car crash near Oxford had recently moved because their house burned down, according to a report.
The four victims, named in the media as Zoe Powell, 29, daughters Amelia, four, and Phoebe, eight, and six-year-old son Simeon, all died in an incident on the A40 Monday evening.
Police said the collision involved their Subaru people carrier and a heavy goods vehicle.
Two other passengers in the Subaru, reported as Powell’s 30-year-old husband Josh and their 18-month old daughter, were taken to hospital in Oxford and are in a critical condition.
Thames Valley Police said the driver of the HGV, a 56-year-old man, suffered minor injuries.
The Sun reported that William Milroy, Zoe Powell’s father, said the family, who were living in Chinnor, Oxfordshire, had been moving from house to house but recently began renting a long-term place.
“They were going home. I don’t know where they had been but they had recently moved into a new rented house after theirs had burned down,” he said.
Zoe Powell ran a blog website about being a mother, oriented towards the mental health and wellbeing of mums.
She would write about coping when a child is ill, dealing with new challenges and promoting the use of a journal to record events and feelings.
The mother also made videos for Youtube in which she talked about writing down thoughts.
Police were called to the collision at 9.50pm on Monday, with emergency services arriving at what police described as “an extremely upsetting scene”.
Thames Valley Police’s Sergeant Dominic Mahon said: “We will leave no stone unturned to ascertain what has caused this tragedy.
“The next of kin of the family have been made aware and are being supported by specially trained family liaison officers.
“The thoughts of all of us at Thames Valley Police, along with our partners who have assisted at the scene or at the hospital, are with the families at this incredibly difficult time.”
He urged against speculating about what happened and asked for anyone who saw what happened to call 101 or make a report online using reference number 43200321914.
Chinnor Parish Council said on Facebook it was “saddened and shocked” by the crash and said a space for flowers to be laid has been made on the village high street.
Oxford City Council’s leader Susan Brown said is was “horrible, horrible news”.
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