Dad dies a hero in office blaze (From Stroud News and Journal)

Dad dies a hero in office blaze

A YOUNG dad has died a hero after trying to save a group of fellow workers in a fire.

Bruce Stephens-Tuffee was one of two Britons killed in a blaze which tore through offices in Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam on October 29.

Mr Stephens-Tuffee, 36 and formerley of Middle Street, Stroud was last seen alive leading a group of Vietnamese office workers towards an escape exit during the fire which killed more than 60 people.

The financial trainer had gone to Vietnam only four weeks earlier to start a new job. His wife Gail and baby daughter Thea, 18-months were due to join him after Christmas.

Mrs Stephens-Tuffee said as soon as she heard someone from her husband's office was dead she knew who it was.

"He would never have left anyone behind - that's the kind of man he was," she said. Mrs Stephens-Tuffee said the last time she spoke to her husband he told her he was arranging special surprises for her birthday on October 30. "He was a very thoughtful man," she said.

Mrs Stephens-Tuffee flew to Vietnam and collected her husband's body.

The family moved to Kinswood near Wotton-under-Edge a year ago and Mr Stephens-Tuffee was well known by many youngsters across the country for his work organising national youth camps called GoFrit with the Congregational Federation.

His wife said: "He was a great communicator with youngsters." Since her husband's death she has received numerous cards from youngsters and their parents praising her husband's work and she intends to set up a fund in her husband's memory called Bruce's Youth Fund to carry on youth work.

For more Stroud-based stories see this week's SNJ.