“WHY HER? SHE WAS JUST A BABY…” — FAMILY HEARTBROKEN AFTER LITTLE GIRL AND AUNT CAUGHT UP IN A MIDDLESBROUGH HOUSE FIRE

“Why her? She was just a baby.”

Those are the heartbreaking questions being asked by relatives after a seven-year-old girl and her aunt were caught up in a devastating house fire in Middlesbrough amid heightened tensions following the A66 tragedy.

The little girl had reportedly been staying at the home of her aunt, Natalie McDonald, 34, in Grangetown when the blaze broke out.

Both were found at the property and sadly could not be saved.

A TRAGEDY THAT CAME DAYS AFTER THE A66 CRASH

The fire happened just days after the A66 collision that claimed the lives of five young people and two Cleveland Police officers.

Investigators are now examining whether the blaze could have been connected to a wider series of retaliatory incidents following the crash.

Police have been working to establish exactly what happened in the hours before the fire and whether the property was deliberately targeted.

Two men, aged 23 and 31, have reportedly been arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in custody.

“SHE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT”

For the little girl’s family, the most painful question is why an innocent child became caught up in the aftermath of events she had nothing to do with.

Relatives have reportedly struggled to understand how their seven-year-old daughter could have become involved in a situation surrounding the A66 tragedy.

She was simply staying with her aunt.

She was a child.

And according to her family, she should never have been anywhere near the violence and disorder that followed.

INVESTIGATORS SEARCH FOR THE MOTIVE

Police are continuing to investigate whether the fire was linked to revenge connected with the A66 crash.

But establishing a motive will be crucial.

Was the property deliberately targeted?

Did the people responsible believe someone inside was connected to the earlier events?

Or was there another reason behind the attack?

Until investigators establish the evidence, the motive remains an important unanswered question.

A FAMILY LEFT WITH UNIMAGINABLE GRIEF

While detectives work to establish what happened, relatives are left mourning two members of their family.

A seven-year-old girl who should have been growing up surrounded by family and friends.

And Natalie McDonald, who was only 34.

Their deaths have added another heartbreaking chapter to an already deeply painful week in Middlesbrough.

For the little girl’s family, one question continues to haunt them:

“Why her? She was just a baby.” 💔

Whatever investigators ultimately discover about the motive, her family insists that an innocent child should never have become part of the fallout from someone else’s actions.