Police to search gutted mansion for family

LONDON (Reuters) - Police searching for a family of three missing since a suspicious fire destroyed their Shropshire mansion hope to enter the gutted house on Thursday.

Fire crews have spent two days damping down hotspots after a suspected arson attack on the country house early on Tuesday.

Police said millionaire businessman Christopher Foster, 50, his wife Jill, 49, their 15-year-old daughter Kirstie have not been seen since the fire broke out.

"Until we can enter the property, we do not know whether the family was inside at the time of the fire, which we believe was started deliberately," said Superintendent Gary Higgins, of West Mercia police. "Once we have access to the house, we will find out whether the family was inside at the time of the fire."

Engineers must finish securing the house before detectives and forensics specialists can begin their search, he added.

Police have already searched outhouses around the mansion near Maesbrook, Shropshire. They have found security camera footage from the house. Eighty officers are working on the case.

Police said they are pursuing "every possible line of inquiry" to find out what happened to the family. Detectives have spoken to friends and relatives and alerted ports and airports.

Detectives refused to comment on reports that bullet cases were found at the scene. An unconfirmed report in the Times said the family's two dogs had been shot and their bodies dragged into the house, leaving a bloody trail.

It also said three horses at the house had been shot and a horse box had been parked across the main security gates to hamper fire crews.