Pair held over fire death at former Easington Lane care home

A number of other people were rescued from the fire at the former Manor House Care Home

Two men are being held on suspicion of murder after a man died in a fire at a former care home near Sunderland.

The 39-year-old man died in hospital after being found unconscious in a building which previously housed the Manor House Care Home, in Easington Lane village, early on Saturday.

A number of other people were brought out of the building by firefighters.

Northumbria Police said two men aged 23 and 35 had been arrested and remain in custody.

'Need help'

A force spokesman said officers were trying to locate the family of the dead man, who has not been named.

He added: "This incident has sadly resulted in the death of a 39-year-old man.

"We have two suspects in custody, but we still need help from the public so we can establish exactly what happened."

"We would urge anyone who witnessed the fire, who saw anything suspicious last night, or anyone with information that may be useful to police, please get in touch."