Gladys, 98, dies in fire started by a candle in Bognor

The body of Gladys Barwood, 98, of Gravits Lane, was discovered by a friend who called to check on her welfare just before 7pm on Monday.

Firefighters called to the semi-detached house found her in a smoke-damaged ground-floor room at the back of the house. It is believed the blaze had happened in the previous 24 hours and then burnt itself out.

Fire investigation officers believe the fire was started by a candle. A neighbour said: "She always used a candle and I always thought 'that's really dangerous'.

"She was a bit eccentric, but I suppose you had to make allowances for that at her age."

Mrs Barwood had no relatives in the Bognor Regis area but did have a 94-year-old brother in Torquay and a niece in Coventry.

The neighbour added: "Her brother came up to see her occasionally. I believe he used to live in Bournemouth and Poole, and was a prisoner of war in Japan during the second world war.

"I had spoken to her niece several times on the phone because she was compiling her family tree."

West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Gary Towson said: "The death appears to be a tragic accident.

"The house was fitted with two working smoke alarms in the hallway and first-floor landing, but the fire was contained to just the room where the casualty was found, with the door closed."

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