Albuquerque Police say father set fire that killed him and his son

A house fire that left two family members dead early Monday in Northeast Albuquerque was started by the father, who was killed along with his 7-year-old son, according to police.

Investigators determined that Luis Barraza-Robles, 42, was in an altercation with his wife and the mother of his son, Olivia Cuen-Lopez, Albuquerque Police Department spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said in a news release Thursday.

At one point, Barraza-Robles threatened his wife with a knife and then started a fire inside the home in the 3100 block of Pitt NE, near Candelaria.

Barraza-Robles tried to leave the residence with his son, but the two died from smoke inhalation, Gallegos said.

Firefighters found them near the front of the home, Lt. Jason Fejer, an Albuquerque Fire Rescue spokesman, previously said.

Gallegos said Cuen-Lopez was trapped by fire and couldn’t leave the home. She hid in a bathroom until she was rescued by firefighters.

The smoke in the home was thick and made seeing and breathing difficult, the APD release said.

Cuen-Lopez was taken to a hospital, where she was intubated, Fejer said. She was in stable condition on Monday.

The child’s death has been determined to be a homicide, Gallegos said. The boy wasn’t identified.

Gallegos said the fire was investigated by the Albuquerque police Major Crime Scene Team and the AFR Fire Investigation/Arson Division.

Fejer said the fire, which happened around 4:40 a.m., was originally reported as smoke and firefighters were in the area looking for the source of the smoke when they found the fire.

“AFR proactively investigated the source of the smoke, located the fire, and began combating the fire,” Gallegos said in the release. “Due to the observations and the quick action of AFR personnel, they were able to rescue Olivia and contain the fire.”