A family has paid tribute to a seven-year-old girl and her aunt who died in a house fire less than a mile from the site of a crash on the A66, which killed seven people, including two police officers. Valentina Foster, aged seven, and Natalie McDonald, 34, died following the blaze at an end-of-terrace property in Birchington Avenue, Grangetown, near Middlesbrough.
Heartfelt tributes from relatives
Lisa Kirton, Ms McDonald's mother, told The Times that her daughter "was a beautiful, bubbly person who everyone knew" and that Ms McDonald's niece was "a very cute girl". Valentina's grandmother, Valerie Foster, quoted by The Sun, said: "Life is so cruel. My beautiful granddaughter, Valentina."
Relative Sarah Harland-Foster, also quoted by The Sun, added: "Why, why, why? All I keep telling myself. My heart's absolutely torn to bits. Back in the arms of your dad, my beautiful girl." Billie-Jo Foster said: "Aw my Valentina. How? Why you? You're just a baby." Valentina's uncle, Dean Foster, wrote: "Such a beautiful baby girl. Life can be so cruel."
Arrests and investigation
Cleveland Police said two men, aged 23 and 31, have been arrested on suspicion of murder, and they remain in police custody following the fire. The force would not rule out a link between the blaze and the crash, which killed two police officers and five young men.
Superintendent Emily Harrison said: "We are working 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."
Witness account and community response
A 20-year-old neighbour described running up and down the street, shouting to raise the alarm, and how local residents tried to rescue the occupants. She believed a girl was one of the casualties. Ellie, who declined to give her surname, said: "The entire house was scorching. I couldn't get near the front of the house; it was that hot." Firefighters were seen damping down the smoking roof of the home, which had been wrecked by the fire.
Redcar Labour MP Anna Turley said in a statement: "My deepest condolences are with the families, friends and loved ones of those who have died, and my thoughts are also with those injured and receiving treatment. Our community has faced a profound amount of heartbreak over the past few weeks. Please keep everyone affected in your thoughts, give the emergency services the space they need, and avoid speculation as Cleveland Police & emergency services continue their investigation."
The blaze happened close to the A66 and less than a mile from the scene of a crash on Saturday between a VW Passat, which was evading police and heading in the wrong direction on the dual-carriageway, and a marked police armed response vehicle. Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38, were killed in the collision. On Wednesday, an online appeal to help the officers' families passed the £1 million mark.
The five people in 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. Cleveland Police are not ruling out a link between the two incidents, and said they "cannot rule out any links to wider organised crime at this time". Redcar and Cleveland borough councillor for Grangetown, Adam Brook, said the fire was "absolutely devastating", but urged people not to speculate or "share unconfirmed information".
