A 23-year-old man has been charged with murder after a house fire killed a seven-year-old girl and her aunt, police said. Officers were called to reports of a blaze at Birchington Avenue in Grangetown at 5.23am on 26 August. Natalie McDonald, 34, and her niece Valentina Foster both died while four others were injured.
On Tuesday, Cleveland police said the man had been charged with two counts of murder, two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent and two counts of attempted grievous bodily harm with intent. He is scheduled to appear at Teesside magistrates court on Tuesday. Katie Smith, the senior investigating officer from Northumbria police, said: “This has been a truly tragic incident, and my thoughts remain with the families of all those involved.
Police said on Friday that a 48-year-old woman was in the Royal Victoria Infirmary in a “critical but stable” condition and a 27-year-old man was at James Cook university hospital receiving treatment. Two teenage girls were discharged after suffering non life-threatening injuries.
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