A murder investigation has been launched after two people died in a house fire in Grangetown near Middlesbrough this morning.

The incident comes as the town is still mourning the deaths of seven people, including two police officers, in a crash on the A66 in the early hours of Saturday.

Police, ambulance, fire and rescue and Northern Gas Networks remain at the scene of the blaze on Birchington Avenue, Grangetown.

Residents who’d woken to news of the fire told how two people were missing, while two others had been able to escape from the house.

A relative of the family who lived in the house, which has lost its roof in the blaze, also confirmed two people had escaped.

A 20-year-old from Grangetown described how local residents tried to rescue the occupants from the blazing house in Birchington Avenue.

Ellie, who declined to give her surname, said: ‘I ran down the road screaming. I have lost my voice now. The entire house was scorching. I couldn’t get near the front of the house; it was that hot.’

She described holding the hand of a woman who had jumped from an upstairs window, staying with her until paramedics arrived.

‘She was crying,’ Ellie said.

She believed that a child was one of the casualties. She did not believe the incident was gang-related, saying: ‘People say what they like about Grangetown.’

Cleveland Fire Brigade said it was called to the blaze at 05:23 this morning.

A spokesperson added: ‘Crews are currently dealing with the incident, with six fire engines and the Incident Command Unit at the scene.

‘Road closures are in place in the surrounding area, and Cleveland Fire Brigade are asking members of the public to avoid the area where possible to allow emergency services to work safely.’

A spokesperson for Cleveland Police said: ‘Birchington Avenue and Leighton Road in Grangetown is currently closed while officers and emergency services respond to a fire at the property.

‘Please avoid the area and use alternative routes.’

A series of arrests in relation to organised crime have been made since the crash on Saturday morning, which resulted in the deaths of PCs Tom Clough, 38, and Matthew Blades, 37.

Police said the five young people killed in the incident may have had links to ‘serious and organised criminal activity’.

They added that the arrests come following several reports of two vehicles being driven dangerously.

The two officers were in a marked police car that collided with a VW Passat travelling in the wrong direction on the A66 in South Bank, Middlesbrough.

The occupants of that car, Jakub Matusiak, 23, Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, Theo Rae, 17 and Michael Robert Cahill, 23, were all pronounced dead at the scene.

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