House fire kills two people in Middlesbrough, man charged

A house fire in Middlesbrough has killed two people: Natalie McDonald, 34, and her seven-year-old niece Valentina Foster. Four others were injured in the blaze, which happened in the Grangetown area on Wednesday. Police arrested two men on suspicion of murder in connection with the fire. One of them, Jaden Wright, 23, appeared in court on Saturday. However, the charges he faced were for a separate attack on 25 August. In that incident, a woman living in a tent on Grange Farm Road was allegedly attacked and suffered a fractured eye socket. Wright was charged with grievous bodily harm and intentional strangulation. The fire-damaged house was unstable, so safety work was needed before emergency services could enter the building.