Baby, Two Men Killed in California House Fire

Dec. 20--A fatal Vallejo house fire left an infant, his grandfather and his grandfather's brother dead early this morning, Vallejo police said.

Vallejo firefighters arrived shortly after midnight to 7 Emerald Circle, where they found the two-story house more than 50 percent engulfed in flames, Vallejo Police Lt. Rick Nichelman said.

They also found a woman escaping from the roof by climbing down a ladder that neighbors placed against the house, Nichelman said.

Though police wouldn't confirm whether arson is suspected, Nichelman said they are seeking for questioning the boyfriend of the baby's aunt, calling him a "person of interest."

Police would not release his name nor the name of the victims.

Relatives, however, named the victims as David Dykes; his brother, Douglas Dykes; and 11-month-old Ben Sickels, who is David Dykes' grandson.

Relatives identified the woman who survived the fire as Theresa Dykes, the baby's grandmother. She is being treated at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center-Vallejo for smoke inhalation. She is expected to survive, but is unable to talk and give a statement, police said Thursday morning.

Police said the baby's mother, who also lived at the house, and the baby's aunt, were not at home during the fire.

Nichelman said the aunt and her boyfriend had a volatile relationship and that he had been arrested before for domestic violence.

It took roughly 20 Vallejo firefighters about 20 minutes to extinguish the two-alarm blaze, police said.

While sweeping the house, firefighters found one victim in an upstairs bedroom. After pulling back momentarily from the flames, firefighters conducted a second sweep of the house and discovered two more victims in another upstairs bedroom, police said.

Nichelman said the house is being treated as a "potential crime scene." It was taped off Thursday morning as investigators continued to gather evidence on the cause of the fire.

"Accelerant-sniffing" dogs were used to sweep the fire-gutted house Thursday morning, police said. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms investigators assisted Vallejo firefighters and police in the ongoing investigation.

No other houses were damaged by the flames, police said.

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