The child, Caleb Ponton, was the third victim in the fire, which also took the lives of Earnest Williams, 67, of the 981 Davie School Road residence, and Dora Patterson, 64, of Rockingham, Sheriff Wes Tripp said this morning.

Joyce Williams remains in critical condition at the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center at UNC Health Care, where the child died, the sheriff said.

Tripp did not know the extent of the injuries Mrs. Williams sustained in the fire. Tripp declined to discuss the cause of death of the three victims, saying the sheriff's office would have to wait on an autopsy report.

Mr. Williams was found in the hallway of the house while Patterson was found near the door of a bedroom. A smoke detector alerted the family of the fire.

Davie Volunteer Fire Department Chief David Padgett said the child was found in a back bedroom. Firefighters took the child out of the house and tried to administer CPR. “I'm sorry he didn't make it,” he said.

Tripp said a State Bureau of Investigation arson team ruled the fire started in the kitchen and no foul play was involved. “I would express my sincere appreciation to the volunteers of the Davie Volunteer Fire Department in doing their jobs yesterday.”

Firefighters from Davie and Littleton responded to the fire after receiving the call around 6:15 Wednesday morning.