Child among two dead in house fire a mile from A66 crash site

A child is among two people who were killed in a house fire in Grangetown, near Middlesbrough, Cleveland Police said, adding that two men aged 23 and 31 have been arrested on suspicion of murder.

The house fire killed two people less than a mile from the site of a crash on the A66 which killed seven people.

Cleveland Police would not rule out a link between the blaze at an end-of-terrace property in Birchington Avenue and the crash which killed two police officers and five young men.

Four other people who were in the house at the time were injured, including a woman who is said to be in a critical condition. It happened around 5.30am.

Superintendent Emily Harrison 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.”

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 that 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.”

She described holding the hand of a crying woman who had jumped from an upstairs window, staying with her until paramedics arrived.

A woman remained in the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle in a critical condition, while the three others suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Firefighters were seen damping down the smoking roof of the home which has been wrecked by the fire.

A ladder remained propped against a rear upstairs window of the family home.

A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: “My daughter heard shouting and screaming this morning.

“The dogs were barking.”

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.

More to follow.