MAN, 31, RELEASED WITHOUT CHARGE AFTER DEVASTATING HOUSE FIRE CLAIMS LIFE OF 7-YEAR-OLD GIRL AND HER AUNT

A 31-year-old man arrested after a devastating house fire in Middlesbrough that claimed the lives of a seven-year-old girl and her aunt has been released without charge.

The development comes as police continue investigating the blaze that tore through a home in Grangetown last week.

TWO PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES

Seven-year-old Valentina Foster and her 34-year-old aunt, Natalie McDonald, were inside the property when the fire broke out in the early hours of August 26.

Emergency crews were called to Birchington Avenue at around 5:23 a.m., with flames reportedly coming from the upper floors of the home.

Natalie’s 15-year-old daughter and a friend managed to escape through an upstairs window.

Several other people were also injured, including a 48-year-old woman who remains in hospital in critical but stable condition.

TWO MEN WERE ARRESTED

Police initially arrested two men, aged 23 and 31, on suspicion of murder as part of the investigation.

But on Sunday, Cleveland Police confirmed that the 31-year-old had been released with no further charge.

The 23-year-old remains in custody and continues to be questioned.

Police stressed that enquiries are ongoing.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE WIDER CHAOS

The fire occurred during a period of serious unrest in Middlesbrough.

More than 200 officers were reportedly brought into the area following a series of incidents, with police making 24 arrests.

The wider unrest began with a vehicle being driven into a house before the devastating A66 collision that claimed the lives of five young men and two police officers.

Other incidents included vehicles being set alight and a man being injured.

At first, police and local officials considered whether the house fire might be connected to the wider violence.

However, investigators have since ruled out a link between the fire, the A66 collision and the alleged turf war.

THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES

The property remains unstable, and specialist work is expected to take place to make the building safe.

Meanwhile, detectives continue examining how the fire started and what happened in the moments before emergency services arrived.

For Valentina’s family, the investigation cannot undo the devastating loss.

The seven-year-old had reportedly been staying with her aunt during the school holidays.

Now, as one suspect has been released and another remains under questioning, investigators are still working to establish exactly what happened inside the Grangetown home that morning.

A child and her aunt lost their lives. One suspect has now been released without charge. Another remains in custody. And the questions surrounding the fire are still far from answered.