Specialist fire investigators from the South East have been brought in to help police probing the blaze that killed teenager Leah Casson.
The 18-year-old was killed when a ferocious fire ripped through her family's North Shields home, in January.
Detectives have previously said they suspect the fire was started deliberately, but the exact cause is still unknown.
And now The Chronicle can reveal that Northumbria Police has enlisted the help of specialist forensic fire investigators from outside the region to help establish how the blaze started.
The Chronicle understands the experts are from West Sussex.
A Northumbria Police spokeswoman said: “As part of our ongoing investigation into the tragic death of 18-year-old Leah Casson, we required specialist support from a forensic fire investigator based outside of the force area.
“As those enquiries remain ongoing, the cause of the fire still remains unknown at this time, however, we are determined to find answers for Leah’s family.”
Emergency services were called to Vicarage Street, near North Shields town centre, after the fire broke out during the early hours of Monday January 16.
Three people, who The Chronicle understands to be members of Leah's family, managed to escape the property, but Leah's body was later found inside.
In a statement her family said: "As a family we are totally devastated by what has happened. Leah was an outgoing, bubbly young woman who we loved so much, and we can’t believe she has gone."
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