2 Adults, Girl Killed; House Set Afire

Two adults and an 8-year-old girl believed to have died during a blaze in their Carson home about noon Friday were actually attacked and the house then set on fire, Los Angeles County homicide investigators said late Friday.

“The adults had been murdered and the child--there had been an attempt on her life that failed. . . . She lived through the fire but died later at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center,” Sheriff’s Deputy Van Mosley said.

There were no suspects and the exact cause of the deaths was not yet known, he said.

The unidentified couple, who lived at 17808 S. Main St., were pronounced dead at the scene. The girl, suffering severe burns, died three hours later, he said.

Firefighters fought the blaze, which was reported around noon, for about 10 minutes before entering the barred, one-story Spanish-style home. The three victims were found inside.

Firefighters said they did not yet know what started the blaze or who called authorities, not to report a fire but to report a “person not breathing.”

Pat Phyne, who owns the property, said the victims had lived there for about eight years.