Man charged in Scarborough house fire that left 8-month-old dead

An arson charge has been laid in connection to a house fire in Scarborough last weekend that killed an 8-year-old girl.

A man has been charged in connection with basement fire in a Scarborough home that left an eight-month-old baby left on Saturday.

The fire broke out at around 11:15 a.m. at a home on Bushmill Square, near Brimley Road and Finch Avenue East.

A 39-year-old man, an eight-month-old baby girl, a four-year-old boy and a woman in her 70s were pulled out of the burning residence.

The man, police said, was found with self-inflicted injuries and was transported to the hospital. He was later taken into custody.

Meanwhile, the baby suffered life-threatening injuries and later died in the hospital, police said. She has not been identified.

The boy and the woman sustained minor injuries.

On Wednesday, police identified the 39-year-old as Julian De Souza. He has been charged with arson—disregard for human life.

De Souza was scheduled to attend a Toronto bail court on Wednesday morning.

Police previously said the four people rescued were all members of a family, but they didn’t specify their relationship to each other.

The cause, origin, and circumstances of the fire remain unknown.