Connecticut Post Officials have yet to determine the cause of the blaze that took the lives of Taniecha Sophia Blackwood, 27, her son Elijah Boyd, 5, and her 4-month-old baby Dwayne Dennis Jr. There are indications that it may be arson, said Assistant Fire Chief Fred Haschak, who declined to be more specific. We are treating the site as a possible crime scene.

Only one resident, a tenant on the third-floor of the multi-family residence, escaped injury.

Ironically, Blackwood had survived a fire that broke out at another Colorado Avenue home 10 years ago to the day on Feb. 25, 1995. Blackwood saved herself in that pre-dawn blaze by jumping from a second-floor window.

Police ruled the cause of that fire as arson, said Delrissa Brown, Blackwood's aunt.

During that blaze, Blackwood's father, Robert Blackwood, threw several children to safety from a second-story window. All of the occupants emerged unharmed.

This time around, however, Robert Blackwood was not in the house. He had left to go shopping sometime before the fire started. When he returned, the house was engulfed in flames.

The fire broke out at about 10:30 p.m. and quickly consumed the first floor of the building, where the victims lived. The second floor was under renovation.

There were flames shooting out of the front, said Beltazar Fidalgo, who lives next door. I [only] hope this was an accident.

Members of the State Fire Marshal's office are assisting local fire officials and police in the investigation.

At this point, based on what our investigators tell me, the fire does not appear to be caused by any criminal act, such as arson, Sgt. Scott Llewellyn, an investigator with the State Fire Marshal's Office said. But that assessment, Llewellyn said, is pending the autopsy results.

The Connecticut Medical Examiner's Office in Farmington has custody of Blackwell's body and that of her two young children, and will conduct autopsies.

Grieving family members clutched each other for support and sobbed openly as they gazed at the partially destroyed 90-year-old house Saturday.

I just can't believe it, Brown said. Sophia was a soft-spoken woman who never said an unkind word about anyone. She doesn't deserve this.

She added that Blackwood, who celebrated her 27th birthday on Feb. 12, was engaged to Dwayne Dennis Sr. of Stratford; the couple had yet to set a date for the wedding. Relatives said Blackwood worked for the Southwest Community Health Center on Fairfield Avenue.

Later Saturday afternoon, Brown and other relatives gathered at the apartment of Blackwood's grandmother. They recounted happy stories about the victims as they attempted to understand the tragedy and comfort themselves. Their looks of shock and disbelief were broken by the interruption of younger cousins running through the apartment.

Sophia never gave us any problems as a child, said Erma Dawson, Blackwood's grandmother. She was a sweet child.

She added that Blackwood, who graduated from Bassick High School, was the captain of the school's basketball team when they won the all-state championship in the mid 1990s.

I told her she should make a career of it, Dawson said. But she had other ideas. At one point, Blackwood considered joining the U.S. Air Force.

Brown, who lives in New York, remembered visiting with the family just this Wednesday.

Elijah wanted to read, so I told him to get a book, she said. He chose one called How Many Kisses Goodnight, a children's book. He was a very smart and loving boy. He was a little prince.

The neighborhood was still reeling Saturday as the smell of smoke hung in the air. The home was surrounded by yellow crime tape and the first floor was severely damaged. Yet the second floor and the rear of the home appeared almost untouched by the blaze.

Tyron Hennegan, who lives in the neighborhood, was the first of many to arrange memorials in front of the house. He inserted three red roses in the chain-link fence by the house. Then he lit three candles, one for each victim.

I just wanted to give them my blessings, he said as a tear ran down his cheek. I have kids of my own.

Staff writer MariAn Gail Brown contributed to this report.