Aunt killed in fire with niece was ‘beautiful soul’
BBC News reports on the tragic passing of Natalie McDonald, 34, and her seven-year-old niece Valentina Foster in a house fire in Grangetown, near Middlesbrough.
"A beautiful soul, who would have done anything for anybody" is how Natalie’s mother, Lisa Kirton, describes her daughter. Kirton also shared that Valentina had been spending the summer holidays with the family and was "a cute little kid."
Two men, aged 23 and 31, have been arrested on suspicion of murder and are in police custody, according to Cleveland Police, who are keeping an open mind regarding potential links to organised crime.
The fire also left a 48-year-old woman critical alongside three others with non-life threatening injuries. Natalie’s 15-year-old daughter and a friend managed to escape through an upstairs window, with the friend credited for "kicking out a window" and saving their lives.
The incident occurred near the site of a fatal crash that claimed five young men and two police officers on Saturday morning.
