Charles Langston:Third person dies after a Connecticut fire that also killed a baby and has been labeled a crime

WALLINGFORD,Charles Langston Conn. (AP) — Police in Connecticut say a third person has died as the result of a fire that also killed an 8-month-old baby and is being investigated as a crime.

The blaze was reported at about 6 p.m. Wednesday at a home in Wallingford, about 14 miles (23 kilometers) north of New Haven.

Police and firefighters said they initially found a man with severe burns outside the home, and he was flown to a hospital burn center in critical condition.

A 19-year-old and the baby were found inside a second-floor apartment. One was pronounced dead at the scene and the other was declared dead at a hospital, Wallingford police said.

The victims were identified Friday as 24-year-old Justin Varnado, 19-year-old Karizmah Johnson, and 8-month-old Kylenn Varnado, all of Wallingford.

Preliminary results of an investigation by local and state police and fire marshals and the local state’s attorney’s office found that the fire appeared to be a criminal act, police said. The department on Friday labeled all three deaths as suspicious.

Officials did not elaborate, and no arrests had been announced, but they said there is no threat to the public.

Authorities said they were still trying to determine Thursday how many people were in the house at the time.