A seven-year-old girl and her aunt have been named as the two victims of a fatal house fire in Grangetown, near Middlesbrough, which has sparked a murder investigation and may be linked to the A66 crash that killed seven people, including two police officers.
Valentina Foster, 7, and her aunt Natalie McDonald, 34, died after the blaze ripped through a home in the early hours of Wednesday morning (August 25). Two men, aged 23 and 31, have been arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in police custody.
Murder probe and arrests
Cleveland Police say they are keeping an open mind but admit they "cannot rule out any links to wider organised crime at this time." The two arrested men are being questioned as officers work to establish the circumstances of the incident.
Heartbroken relatives paid tribute to Natalie, with her mother Lisa Kirton describing her daughter as "a beautiful, bubbly person who everyone knew." Speaking to The Times, she said: "She had a heart of gold who would give anyone anything. She left behind a daughter with no parents."
Tributes and neighbour accounts
Valerie Foster, the grandmother of young Valentina, wrote online: "Life is so cruel. My beautiful granddaughter, Valentina." Another relative, Sarah Foster, wrote: "Why, why, why? All I keep telling myself. Torn the family apart. My heart’s absolutely torn to bits."
Shocked neighbours described chaos as the fire took hold, with some people managing to escape, the Daily Mail reported. One resident said: "Some people got out, and a few people did not. It’s tragic."
Ciara Randle, 10, who lives nearby and spoke with her mum’s permission, said: "I woke up to screaming, dogs barking and sirens, very early. The sun had only just come up. I told my mum as soon as we got up. We realised there had been a fire. We’re very shocked. The fire had been put out by then, but there was smoke, and the house was smouldering."
Police statement and possible A66 link
Her mother Theresa Randle, 42, added: "We don’t know the people in the house very well, but we say hello to them. The poor family. We feel so sad for them. By the time we got up, the fire had been put out. We don’t know what happened. It’s a tragedy, especially so soon after the crash at the weekend."
Another neighbour said: "My daughter heard shouting and screaming this morning. The dogs were barking." A 20-year-old woman, Ellie, recalled: "I ran down the road screaming. I have lost my voice now. The entire house was scorching. I couldn’t get near the front of the house - it was that hot."
In a statement this afternoon, Cleveland Police said: "As we continue to investigate this morning’s tragic incident, we continue to support the families of those who have sadly died as a result. Our thoughts remain with those families and with everyone involved. Two men, aged 23 and 31, remain in police custody at this time and they are being questioned. We continue to work to establish the circumstances of exactly what has happened, but we are keeping an open mind and cannot rule out any links to wider organised crime at this time. 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."
This incident came just days after the A66 crash which resulted in the deaths of seven people, just two miles away, reports Teesside Live. The victims of the fatal crash included two police officers, Pc Matthew Blades and Pc Tom Clough, as well as the occupants of a VW Passat - 17-year-olds Cole Robert Worthy and Theo Rae, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jakub Matusiak.
