Elizabeth H. Radmacher, 68, faces charges of arson, wanton endangerment and criminal mischief after allegedly setting her Louisville apartment on fire on March 14. The incident occurred around 3 a.m. as she faced eviction, forcing eight other tenants to flee. Witnesses reported hearing her threaten to 'kill everybody.'
On March 14, around 3 a.m., Elizabeth H. Radmacher allegedly started a fire intentionally in her bedroom at an apartment building on Tazwell Drive in northeast Louisville, Kentucky, then left the structure, according to a Louisville Metro Police arrest citation and arson bureau affidavit. She was in the process of being evicted at the time. As flames spread, residents fled; eight tenants were home and evacuated, including a family of three living directly above her unit, which prompted the additional wanton endangerment and criminal mischief charges alongside arson. Witnesses and law enforcement heard Radmacher say, 'I'm going to kill everybody,' and claim someone else made her set the blaze. One neighbor told WLKY, 'I knock at the doors and told everybody to get out because the fire is coming.' Another said, 'I feel sorry for them. He had a kid up there, so he could have been badly burned or killed.' One person was taken to a hospital. Twenty-nine firefighters from two departments extinguished the blaze in 19 minutes, limiting damage mostly to Radmacher's unit but causing $100,000 in total losses. Most residents returned, though two were displaced due to smoke and fire damage. Anchorage Middletown Fire Deputy Chief Matt Sutt noted, 'It's a concern that our people could be potentially hurt or killed as well.' Radmacher is held in Louisville Metro Corrections on $50,000 bond, with a court appearance scheduled for March 27.