Two people are unaccounted for following a significant house fire in Middlesbrough early Monday morning, with authorities exploring the possibility of a connection to a recent fatal road collision.
Emergency services, including armed police, paramedics, firefighters, and gas engineers, responded to the incident on Birchington Avenue in the Grangetown area. The fire, which began around 5 a.m., resulted in the destruction of the property's roof. Two individuals managed to escape the blaze, but two others are now presumed dead.
Residents reported hearing screams, barking dogs, and sirens in the early hours. "We don't know the people in the house very well, but we say hello to them. The poor family. We feel so sad for them," said Theresa Randle, 42, a local carer. "By the time we got up, the fire had been put out. We don't know what happened. It's a tragedy, especially so soon after the crash at the weekend."
A spokesperson for Cleveland Fire Brigade confirmed they were called at 5:23 a.m. to the Grangetown address, with six fire engines and the Incident Command Unit deployed. Road closures were put in place, and the public was advised to avoid the area.
Cleveland Police stated that Birchington Avenue and Leighton Road were closed while emergency services responded. Police have also arrested 17 individuals in connection with a separate incident on Saturday morning: a crash on the A66 involving a Volkswagen Passat, which was traveling in the wrong direction on the dual carriageway, and a marked armed response vehicle. Police officers PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were killed in that collision.
The occupants of the Passat, identified as Cole Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jacob Matusiak, also died at the scene. Police had been pursuing the Passat following an earlier incident where a house in the Acklam area, reportedly linked to Worthy, was rammed by a vehicle. The pursuit was called off shortly before the Passat entered the A66 against traffic.
Authorities have indicated that the five young men in the Passat may have had connections to organized criminal activity. Four of them had previous criminal convictions and were believed to be associated with a vehicle seen ramming properties earlier on the day of the crash. Reports were received about two vehicles driving dangerously, with one, a Volvo XC60, seen ramming properties, and the Passat believed to be linked to its activities. Both vehicles were reportedly using cloned license plates.
Online fundraisers for the two deceased officers have raised over £1 million. Inquests into the deaths were scheduled to open Monday, with hearings for the young men in the Passat set for the afternoon at Teesside Magistrates' Court.