Police ask if a deadly house fire and a road crash that killed seven might be connected

A house fire in Grangetown, near Middlesbrough, killed Natalie McDonald, 34, and her seven-year-old niece on 26 August 2026. Police arrested two men on suspicion of murder. Officers say the fire might be linked to a crash four days earlier on the nearby A66 road that killed seven people, including two police officers. They are also looking into possible ties to organised crime.