Pictured: Woman, 94, killed in house fire which daughter escaped as murder arrest made

By ANDY DOLAN AND CHRISTINE CHALLAND Published: 11:40, 18 August 2026 | Updated: 11:40, 18 August 2026 This is the elderly woman who died in a house fire which saw another woman arrested on suspicion of murder. Sylvia Townsend, 94, was named locally by neighbours, who described firefighters' desperate attempts to resuscitate the pensioner after she was carried out of her burning bungalow on a blanket. It is believed the widow, a mother-of-two, lived with her daughter Laura, 63, at the modest property but the younger woman is thought to have managed to escape the blaze. Gloucestershire Police said officers were called to the address in Hardwicke, near Gloucester, at 4am on Sunday. Emergency services searched the house and found the elderly occupant unconscious. Ambulance crews performed CPR but she was pronounced dead at the scene. A neighbour who was woken by his pet dog barking told the Daily Mail fire engines were already at the scene when he saw smoke and flames coming from the front windows of the property after they blew out. 'A young man had already called 999 before me and we saw firefighters carry Sylvia out on a fire blanket', he said. 'Each firefighter was holding a corner of the blanket and then they carried out CPR. They worked on her for a long time but I think she had died in the bungalow.' Widow Sylvia Townsend had been confined to the house after suffering a recent stroke, neighbours said Police have now removed a cordon outside the bungalow, now boarded up, where the blaze took hold 'I got a camping chair out of the car for her daughter to sit in while we were waiting for the ambulance. She kept refusing the emergency blanket and saying she was alright but was taken to hospital in an ambulance. She seemed to be in a state of shock. We all were.' The neighbour said he had known Mrs Townsend, a widow whose husband Alf died in 2024, since he moved into the quiet residential street nearly 30 years ago. 'She was a lovely lady', the neighbour added. Sylvia's daughter has lived with her for about a year and her mum has carers in a couple of times a day because she is quite frail. I don't think any of us can take in what has happened. It's devastating for her family.' Last night, as Gloucestershire Police removed a cordon from both sides of the boarded-up property following a forensic investigation, other residents said Mrs Townsend had been confined to the house after suffering a recent stroke. 'We were woken by the blue lights from the fire engines and police cars and couldn't believe what we were seeing when we looked out of the window', a woman living opposite said. 'We don't see a lot of Sylvia and her daughter since Alf died. He was in his 90s like Sylvia but always stopped for a chat when he went past in his wheelchair. They were a lovely old couple. 'This is so sad for Sylvia's family. We have no idea what could have caused the fire but the flames really took hold. You could see smoke coming out of the windows and it looked as though the main fire was in the front room on the left of the house.' The Townsends married in 1981 and Mr Townsend had a daughter from a previous relationship, while his wife also had a son, Jeremy Ramstedt, 64. Last night, Mr Ramstedt said the family were too shocked to comment. 'It's far too early to say anything', he added. 'It's all up in the air at the moment'. Mrs Townsend was a member of the congregation at St James Church in Quedgeley, where the Rev Ian Robb said she kept in touch with friends from the congregation even though she hadn't been able to attend services because of illness. 'Sylvia was a regular worshipper and a well-known member of our church community', Mr Robb added. 'We are all very sad to hear this dreadful news. We don't know any details but our prayers are with her family.' On Sunday, Gloucestershire Police said a woman in her 60s, from Gloucester, had been arrested on suspicion of murder and arson with intent to endanger life. But in an update this morning, the force said the woman had been 'released on police bail pending further enquiries into the circumstances of the death.' A spokesman added: 'Officers have completed searches at the scene and the cordon has now been removed.' Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.