Girl, 7, and aunt killed in Grangetown house fire; two men arrested for murder

Valentina Foster, 7, and Natalie McDonald, 34, died in a blaze at a Grangetown property. Two men are held on suspicion of murder as police probe links to organised crime.

Two dead in Grangetown house fire as murder arrests made

A seven-year-old girl and her aunt have died following a house fire at an end-of-terrace property in Birchington Avenue, Grangetown, near Middlesbrough, The Independent reports. Two men, aged 23 and 31, have been arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in police custody.

Valentina Foster — known to family as Tina — and her aunt Natalie McDonald, 34, were killed in the blaze, which broke out at 5:23am on Wednesday. A 48-year-old woman was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle in a critical condition. Three further people sustained injuries not believed to be life-threatening.

Lisa Kirton, Ms McDonald's mother, told The Times that her daughter "was a beautiful, bubbly person who everyone knew." She told the BBC that Valentina had been spending the summer holidays with the family. "She was a cute little kid," Ms Kirton said. "I can't believe it, seven years old — it's just a disgrace."

Redcar and Cleveland Local Policing Commander, Superintendent Emily Harrison, said officers were continuing to support the families of the deceased. "Two men, aged 23 and 31, remain in police custody at this time and they are being questioned," she said. "We will have a high visibility presence in the Grangetown area and encourage anyone who has concerns, or who may have information, to approach our officers or alternatively call us on 101."

Possible link to A66 crash

The fire occurred less than a mile from the scene of a fatal crash on the A66 on Saturday, in which seven people died. Superintendent Harrison said police were keeping "an open mind" and could "not rule out any links to wider organised crime at this time."

The A66 collision involved a VW Passat — which had been evading police and was travelling in the wrong direction on the dual carriageway — and a marked armed response vehicle. Police Constables Matthew Blades, 37, and Tom Clough, 38, were killed in the collision. The five occupants of the Passat — Cole Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jacob Matusiak — were pronounced dead at the scene at South Bank.

An online fundraising appeal for the officers' families passed £1 million on Wednesday. Inquests for those who died in the crash were due to open in Middlesbrough on Thursday.

Cleveland Police have arrested 17 people in connection with the crash as part of investigations into alleged organised crime, charging two and bailing the remainder. The Passat had been pursued following an earlier incident in which a house in the Acklam area of Middlesbrough, linked to Worthy, was rammed by a vehicle. The pursuit was aborted when the car went the wrong way on to the A66. PC Blades and PC Clough had not been involved in the original pursuit but were called to the area to assist with the search for the vehicle.

Police have previously stated that the five men in the Passat may have had links to "serious and organised criminal activity" and that four of them had previous convictions.

Neighbours describe chaos

A 20-year-old neighbour, who gave her first name as Ellie, described running up and down the street to raise the alarm as local residents attempted to help those inside. "The entire house was scorching," she said. "I couldn't get near the front of the house, it was that hot." She described holding the hand of a woman who had jumped from an upstairs window, remaining with her until paramedics arrived.

A second neighbour, who asked not to be named, said their daughter had been woken by shouting and screaming, and that dogs in the street had been barking. Firefighters were subsequently seen damping down the smoking roof of the property, with a ladder propped against a rear upstairs window.

Redcar Labour MP Anna Turley offered her condolences to the families involved and called for restraint online. "Our community has faced a profound amount of heartbreak over the past few weeks," she said. "Please keep everyone affected in your thoughts, give the emergency services the space they need, and avoid speculation as Cleveland Police and emergency services continue their investigation."

Redcar and Cleveland borough councillor for Grangetown Adam Brook described the fire as "absolutely devastating" and similarly urged residents not to share unconfirmed information while the investigation continues.

Source: The Independent