The blaze that hid a grisly secret

(PA)

This is one of the first pictures showing the extent of the fire that destroyed Christopher Foster's £1.2m mansion.

Firefighters, unaware that Mr Foster, his wife Jillian and their 15-year-old daughter Kirstie were dead inside, battled for hours to contain the blaze. The picture, released yesterday, is one of a series that show the scale of the fire that faced the emergency services when they arrived at the house last Tuesday morning.

Earlier this week, police revealed they believe Mr Foster murdered his wife and daughter before setting their home on fire and then killing himself.

CCTV footage from the house shows the businessman walking around the grounds of his estate with his rifle in hand as outhouses burn in the background.

Three bodies were found inside the house. Jill Foster was identified first; she died from a gunshot wound to the head. Mr Foster's body has also been identified. The cause of death is unknown, but he is believed to have shot himself. The third body, which is almost certainly that of Kirstie Foster, has yet to be formally identified.