Cleveland Police have confirmed they are not linking the fatal house fire in Grangetown, near Middlesbrough, which claimed the lives of a seven-year-old girl and her aunt, to the A66 crash that left seven people dead, including two police officers.
The house fire in Birchington Avenue led to the arrest of two men on suspicion of murder. The fire killed Natalie McDonald, 34, and seven-year-old Valentina Foster, leaving four others injured. A 48-year-old woman remains in hospital in a critical condition, while three other people sustained injuries not considered life-threatening.
Fatal A66 collision
PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, died in a head-on collision with a Volkswagen Passat on Saturday. Cole Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jakub Matusiak, named by police as Jacob, also died.
Assistant Chief Constable Dave Sutherland, head of local policing at Cleveland Police, confirmed the force is not linking the two incidents.
Official statement
He said: “Since the tragic incident last Saturday morning in which seven people, including two of our serving police officers, PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough, sadly lost their lives, officers and staff have remained working around the clock to continue to serve the public of Cleveland.
“In the same week, we have also seen a tragic house fire on Wednesday in which two people lost their lives, which is also understandably impacting the force and our local communities. At this time, we are not linking this incident to the fatal collision on the A66.
“Our thoughts remain with all those affected by these incidents as we continue our investigations into what happened. Since these two horrific events, the reality of policing in Cleveland and the levels of violence suffered in our communities, has come under the spotlight on a national level.
Support and reassurance
“Brave officers face significant challenges day in day out, but I want to reassure the public that we will remain unwavering in our efforts to tackle criminals and protect our communities. Despite these challenges, calls for service to the force are being answered effectively, we are deploying to incidents, and investigating crime as we do every day.
“It’s important to acknowledge the support and additional resource we are receiving from a number of other forces in the northern region and beyond, and also from the National Crime Agency. This support not only means we can maintain our service to the public, but also continue to conduct patrols in the areas most affected and be a visible presence should anyone wish to speak to officers with any concerns.
He added: “Lastly, I want to thank the general public. Our officers work closely with many corners of our communities on a daily basis to tackle issues in their local neighbourhoods, and whose support these past seven days has been overwhelming and very much appreciated. It has provided officers, staff and the families of the officers with great comfort.”
