Middletown (AP) — Investigators are labeling as "suspicious" an early-morning house fire in Middletown.

Authorities say a couple and their granddaughter who were in the home when the blaze started shortly before 5 a.m. on Saturday were able to escape without injury.

Middletown Fire Chief Edward Badamo says the fire is considered suspicious because it appears to have started on the outside of the home. Firefighters arrived to find one side of the home on Bartholomew Road on fire.

Authorities planned to bring in an accelerant-sniffing dog as part of the investigation.