Middlesbrough house fire: Police 'murder' investigation after two killed and four injured

Police have launched a murder investigation after two people died in a house fire in Middlesbrough.

The house fire in the Grangetown area in the early hours of Wednesday claimed two lives, left a woman in a critical condition in hospital and saw a further three people injured.

Cleveland Police are now treating the two deaths as murder, adding they ‘cannot rule out any links to wider organised crime in the area’.

Officer had been called to a house on Birchington Avenue at 5.23am, before confirming two people had died. Detectives were still examining the scene on Wednesday lunchtime.

The fire happened around two miles from the A66 crash that killed five young men and two police officers on Saturday morning.

Police have previously said the five young men may have had links to “serious and organised criminal activity”.

Redcar and Cleveland local policing commander, Superintendent Emily Harrison, said: “This is a tragic incident which has sadly resulted in the deaths of a number of people this morning, and their families are being supported by specially trained officers.

“We are working to establish the circumstances of exactly what has happened, but we are keeping an open mind and cannot rule out any links to wider organised crime at this time.

“We will have a high visibility presence in the Grangetown area as this investigation progresses, and to provide reassurance to local communities, who will no doubt be impacted by this tragic incident.

“We encourage anyone who has concerns, or who may have information regarding the incident in the early hours of this morning, to approach one of our officers or to contact Cleveland Police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously.”