Detectives not linking A66 crash which killed two policemen to fatal Middlesbrough house fire
Valentina Foster, seven, and her aunt Natalie McDonald, 34, died in the blaze on Wednesday.
Police are not linking a house fire which killed a seven-year-old girl and her aunt to a crash on the A66 last weekend which left seven people dead, including two police officers.
Listen to this article
In an update on Friday, Assistant Chief Constable Dave Sutherland, who is the head of local policing at Cleveland Police, 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."
Valentina Foster, seven, and her aunt Natalie McDonald, 34, died in the blaze in Birchington Avenue, Grangetown, which broke out at 5.23 am on Wednesday.
Read more: Middlesbrough timeline as stabbing and fire follow car crash
Two men aged 23 and 31 were arrested on suspicion of murder.
The force said that a 48-year-old woman remains in a critical condition in the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle.
The blaze took place less than a mile from the site of the A66 crash on 22 August, which left seven dead, including two police officers.
PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38 were killed after a Volkswagen Passat carrying five young men crashed into their police car head-on.
Five men in the Passat also died, and have been named as: Makai Saddington, 18, Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Theo Rae, 17, Cole Worthy, 17, and Jakub Matusiak, 23.
Anna Turley, Redcar MP, said not every incident police attend was linked to the investigation into organised crime.
She said: “I think it’s really important to get across the fact that these incidents are not all linked.
“It could feel that way at the moment because of the national spotlight on us, but unfortunately, we know we’ve had a high level of crime and in this area for a long time now, these are incidents, sadly, that we see all the time.
“It shouldn’t be this way, and it’s up to us to make sure that there isn’t a business as usual which sees that high level of crime and disorder going forward.
“But Cleveland Police have been at pains to say we shouldn’t think that these are all connected, and we shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions.”
Assistant Chief Constable Dave Sutherland added: “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.
“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.
“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.”
An extra 200 police officers have been drafted to Middlesbrough to help investigate after the deaths of nine people over the past six days, police said.
Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald has decried the unrest in the North Yorkshire town, calling the events a "whole series of utterly appalling acts of wanton criminality".
He added that there was an "underlying cause" that attracts young men in their teens who are yet to be fully neurologically formed.
"They're getting pulled into this appalling set of behaviours and engaging in this performative criminality without any regard for the consequences," he said.