TLDR
Flames inside a second-floor apartment on Tazwell Drive in far northeast Louisville forced families from their beds in the early morning darkness on March 14th, 2026. Police say the fire was no accident. According to charging documents, the tenant facing eviction intentionally set her bedroom ablaze.
Elizabeth H. Radmacher, a 68-year-old Louisville woman, is charged with one count of arson, along with wanton endangerment and criminal mischief. She is being held at Louisville Metro Corrections on a $50,000 bond and is next scheduled to appear in court on March 27th, 2026.
Alleged Arson Amid Eviction Proceedings
In an arrest citation described by local news outlets and summarized by Law & Crime, investigators say Radmacher was in the process of being evicted from the multi-unit building when the fire started around 3 a.m. About eight other tenants were home, including a family of three living directly above her unit.
Authorities allege the blaze created a serious risk to those residents, particularly the family overhead, which the Louisville Metro Police Department cited as the basis for the wanton endangerment and criminal mischief counts in addition to the arson charge.
What Charging Documents Describe
According to a criminal complaint from the Louisville Metro Arson Bureau, Radmacher intentionally started the fire in her bedroom and then left the apartment. As smoke and flames spread, witnesses and responding officers reported hearing her say, “I’m going to kill everybody,” while residents watched the building burn from outside.
Police also wrote that Radmacher claimed another person made her start the blaze, though no such person is identified in the public filings. The affidavit does not lay out a detailed motive beyond the ongoing eviction, and no evidence of a wider plot has been described in available records.
Residents, Damage, and Case Timeline
Neighbors told local reporters they knocked on doors to alert sleeping tenants as the hallway filled with smoke. One resident was taken to a nearby hospital, and fire officials estimate the blaze caused about $100,000 in damage before 29 firefighters from two departments brought it under control in roughly 19 minutes.
Investigators said the fire was largely contained to Radmacher’s unit, allowing most tenants to return after cleanup, although two residents were displaced because of smoke and fire damage. Fire officials have publicly noted the risk that such incidents pose to firefighters as well as civilians, underscoring the stakes of the charges now pending in Jefferson County court.
The charges against Radmacher remain allegations, and she is presumed innocent. Future hearings will test the investigators’ account of the fire in open court.
