Authorities arrested a man in connection with a San Marcos residential fire that left two people dead over the weekend, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Sheriff’s homicide detectives on Sunday, March 29, arrested 33-year-old Luis Alvarado on charges of murder and arson related to the fire, which occurred late March 28 in the 900 block of Lacebark Street, according to a Sheriff’s Office report. He was booked into San Diego Central Jail.
On Wednesday, April 1, authorities identified the victims as husband and wife Michael Austin, 73, and Kathryn Austin, 72, of San Marcos. The Austin family has launched a GoFundMe campaign in an effort to rebuild, in which they said that the couple’s dog, Journey, also died in the fire.
“On Saturday night, March 28, our family experienced the most unimaginable loss. Our parents, Micheal and Kathy Austin, along with their beloved dog journey, were taken from us far too soon in a tragic house fire that is believed to have been caused by arson,” the family stated on the GoFundMe campaign page. “Our hearts are broken as we mourn two incredible people who still had so much life left to live.”
Deputies and firefighters initially responded to the scene around 11:45 p.m. Saturday after receiving reports of a structure fire. When first responders arrived, the home was fully engulfed in flames. Fire crews extinguished the blaze and, during suppression efforts, discovered two deceased individuals inside a second-floor room.
Earlier information released by the Sheriff’s Office described the case as a death investigation tied to the fire, with the Sheriff’s Bomb/Arson Unit and Homicide Unit assisting in determining the cause and origin.
The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the Sheriff’s Homicide Unit.
(Story updated at 6:05 p.m. April 2)
