Key facts
- Natalie McDonald, 34, and her seven-year-old niece Valentina Foster died in a house fire in Grangetown, Middlesbrough.
- Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the fire.
- Police are investigating a potential link between the fire and a separate fatal crash on the A66.
- The A66 crash killed seven people, including two police officers, after a car collided with a police vehicle.
- A 15-year-old daughter and a friend escaped the house fire by jumping from an upstairs window.
A woman, identified locally as Natalie McDonald, 34, and her seven-year-old niece, Valentina Foster, have died following a house fire in Grangetown, near Middlesbrough. The fire occurred in the early hours of Wednesday. Police have arrested two men, aged 23 and 31, on suspicion of murder in connection with the blaze and they remain in custody. Authorities are not ruling out potential links between this incident and a fatal car crash on the A66 that occurred less than a mile away on Saturday, which claimed the lives of seven people, including two police officers. The A66 crash involved a vehicle travelling the wrong way that collided head-on with a police car. The victims of the crash included officers PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, as well as five young men. McDonald's mother, Lisa Kirton, described her daughter as a "beautiful soul" and Valentina as a "cute little kid." McDonald's 15-year-old daughter and a friend managed to escape the fire by climbing out of an upstairs window. Neighbours described the fire as intense, with residents attempting to raise the alarm and assist in rescues.