Man, 31, arrested over fire that killed girl, 7, & her aunt during wave of violence in Middlesbrough is released by cops

A MAN arrested on suspicion of murder after a seven-year-old girl and her aunt died in a house fire has been released without charge. The 31-year-old was detained alongside another man, aged 23, who continues to be questioned following the blaze in Grangetown, Middlesbrough, last week, police say. Police officers at the scene on Birchington Avenue, Grangetown, after the fire on Wednesday Credit: PA Natalie McDonald, 34, who died along with her seven-year-old niece, Valentina Foster Credit: Enterprise It comes amid a wave of crime across the northern town, with over 200 police officers from across the UK drafted in to get a hold on a gang turf war – making 24 arrests. The unrest – spanning over five days – began last Saturday when a car rammed a house before a wrong-way smash on the A66 leaving five youths and two police officers dead. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! A caravan and multiple vehicles were also torched in the town, and a 39-year-old man was knifed as Cleveland cops brought in reinforcements to get a lid on the chaos. Valentina Foster, seven, and her aunt Natalie McDonald, 34, died in the devastating fire in the early hours of Wednesday (August 23). Valentina was staying with her aunt during the school holidays Armed officers remained on guard outside the property Credit: PA Cops and local MPs initially speculated the fire could be linked to the A66 crash and turf war but have since ruled it out. Emergency services scrambled to the home at 5.23am, with firefighters tackling flames billowing from upstairs windows. Natalie’s 15-year-old daughter and a friend had managed to escape through an upstairs window after kicking it out. Cops said a woman, aged 48, was pulled from the fire and taken to hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne in a critical condition. Most read in The Sun Three others were hurt, including one who jumped from an upstairs window. Armed cops then guarded the fire-hit property. Two men, aged 23 and 31, were arrested on suspicion of murder. Distraught friends and family paid tribute to Valentina and her auntie, with one relative saying: “Why you? You’re just a baby.” Natalie’s mum Lisa Kirton told the BBC that Valentina, known as Tina, had been staying with the family over the school holidays. Cleveland Police said in an update on Sunday: “A 23-year-old man continues to be questioned in connection with a murder investigation following a house fire in the Grangetown area on Wednesday 26th August, in which two people sadly died. “A 31-year-old man has now been released with no further charge. Enquiries are ongoing.”