Grangetown house fire victim, 7, was ‘deeply loved’ – BBC News
BBC Homepage
Skip to content
Accessibility Help
Your account
Home
News
Sport
Earth
Reel
Worklife
Travel
Culture
Future
Music
TV
Weather
Sounds
More menu
BBC News
Menu
Home
Climate
World
UK
Business
Tech
Science
Entertainment & Arts
Health
In Pictures
More
BBC Verify
Newsbeat
England
Regions
Tees
Family mourn ‘deeply loved’ girl killed in fire
Image source:
Handout
Image caption:
Valentina Foster died alongside her aunt Natalie McDonald in a house fire in Grangetown.
By Federica Bedendo
North East and Cumbria
Published 18 minutes ago
The family of a seven-year-old girl killed in a house fire said their lives had been changed forever by her "devastating loss".
Valentina Foster died alongside her aunt Natalie McDonald, 34, in the blaze at Grangetown, near Middlesbrough, in the early hours of 26 August. A man has been charged with their murders.
In a tribute, the youngster’s parents said their daughter would "always be in our hearts, and her memory will live with us forever".
"She was deeply loved and will be missed beyond words by her family, friends, and everyone whose life she touched," they said. "Our lives have changed forever, and we are struggling to come to terms with this devastating loss."
They added she would be "forever missed" by her brothers and sisters.
Image source: Supplied
Image caption:
A man has been charged with murdering Natalie McDonald and Valentina Foster.
On Tuesday,
Jaden Wright, 23, appeared at Teesside Magistrates’ Court charged with two counts of murder as well as multiple grievous bodily harm offences in connection with the blaze. A 31-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder was released with no further action.
Cleveland Police said a man and a woman remained in hospital while two teenage girls were discharged following treatment.
Lisa Kirton, Natalie’s mother, previously told the BBC her daughter was "lovely, bright and bubbly" and "everybody loved her".
Initially police said they could not exclude a connection between the fire and organised crime linked to seven deaths, including two police officers, in a crash on the A66. It since said the cases were not linked.
Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram and listen to Radio Tees on BBC Sounds.
Get in touch
Do you have a story suggestion for BBC Tees? Contact form | Contact us
