Investigators say Abdul Al-Mousa deliberately ignited several areas of his East Louisville home before watching firefighters battle the blaze.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A 49-year-old Louisville man was charged with second-degree arson after authorities said he deliberately set fire to his home on Labor Day, then crossed the street as flames spread through the two-story residence and allegedly urged firefighters to leave the fire alone.

Abdul Al-Mousa was arrested Sept. 8, a day after the fire in the Forest Springs subdivision in East Louisville. An arrest citation says investigators believe Al-Mousa intentionally started fires in multiple parts of the house. Emergency officials separately determined that the blaze had been intentionally set. No one was found inside the residence, and no injuries were reported, despite flames reaching several levels of the home and prompting firefighters to conduct searches because they initially received conflicting information about whether anyone remained inside.

Anchorage Middletown Fire & EMS was dispatched at 12:26 p.m. Sept. 7 to the 3500 block of Sample Way. Firefighters arrived within about five minutes and found heavy flames coming from an attached garage. The fire had extended into the basement, first floor, second floor and attic, according to emergency officials. Crews went inside, searched the first and second floors and attacked the fire while additional personnel established a water supply. Thirty firefighters, command staff and emergency medical personnel took part in the response. Officials said the fire was under control by 12:59 p.m.

The criminal case centers on what investigators say happened before those crews arrived. The arrest citation alleges Al-Mousa moved through the house and used a rod with an oil-soaked rag attached to it to ignite fires at several locations. Authorities also alleged that, when firefighters reached the property and began working to extinguish the flames, Al-Mousa told them to “let it go.” The accusation is contained in the charging record and has not been established as fact at trial. Authorities have not publicly identified a motive for the alleged arson in the reports reviewed for this story.

Neighbor Michael Ray said he saw flames coming from the garage and called 911. In an interview with WLKY, Ray recalled seeing Al-Mousa standing nearby and asking him whether he had started the fire. Ray said Al-Mousa answered yes. Ray also recorded video as firefighters worked at the house. Local reporting said Al-Mousa moved across the street and watched the response. The witness account became part of a broader picture described by neighbors, but the formal charge rests on the findings and allegations documented by investigators, not on neighborhood suspicion alone.

The fire followed a long series of complaints involving the Sample Way property. WLKY reported that Metro 311 records showed 15 reports over roughly two years concerning matters that included erratic behavior, high grass and weeds, trash in the yard and rodents. Neighbors told local television stations they had also contacted police or their homeowners association over concerns about Al-Mousa’s behavior. Some residents described seeing him outside with a sword and said they had observed a running blowtorch or chainsaw at the house. Those accounts describe neighbors’ observations and concerns; they do not establish the elements of the pending arson charge.

The reports also described earlier court involvement. Local news organizations said court records showed Al-Mousa had previously been jailed on domestic violence-related charges and had been ordered by a judge to receive mental health treatment after his release. WLKY reported that records indicated he did not obtain that treatment. WDRB+WAVE later reported that he had two other active criminal cases at the time of the fire, including a felony flagrant child nonsupport charge and misdemeanor matters involving harassment and probation violations. Those proceedings are separate from the arson allegation, and their existence does not prove that Al-Mousa committed the Sept. 7 offense.

Al-Mousa’s estranged wife told local reporters that she had repeatedly tried to secure mental health help for him and had asked the court to intervene. Neighbors likewise framed some of their concerns in terms of his apparent mental condition. Those descriptions are attributed accounts, not an independently established medical diagnosis. Authorities have not publicly said that a mental health condition caused the fire, and the available charging information does not establish such a connection. The distinction matters because the criminal case concerns whether Al-Mousa intentionally damaged the property by fire, while questions about his health and treatment involve a separate set of facts.

Property and court records added another element to the circumstances surrounding the house. Investigators noted in the arrest citation that Al-Mousa lived at the property but did not own it free and clear because an active mortgage remained. WDRB+WAVE reported that the property was already the subject of a pending foreclosure lawsuit and that a notice of lis pendens had been filed in Jefferson Circuit Court in May. Nothing in the reviewed records establishes that the foreclosure was a motive for the fire, and investigators have not publicly drawn that connection. The financial records instead help explain why authorities treated the burning of the residence as damage involving property interests beyond Al-Mousa’s occupancy.

The scale of the emergency response underscored the danger investigators were examining even though no one was hurt. Crews arrived to find a fire that had moved well beyond its apparent starting area in the garage. Because firefighters initially received conflicting information about whether people might still be inside, they entered the burning structure and searched it before confirming it was empty. Louisville Metro Police assisted with scene safety, while Louisville Arson investigators responded to determine the origin and cause. After the main fire was extinguished, firefighters removed debris, put out remaining hot spots and checked for residual heat before restricting access to the damaged home.

Al-Mousa is charged with second-degree arson. Kentucky legislative materials identify second-degree arson under KRS 513.030 as a Class B felony. The charge is an accusation, and Al-Mousa is presumed innocent unless proved guilty through the court process. Early reports said he was taken into custody by the Metro Arson Bureau and housed in Louisville Metro Corrections. Reporting immediately after the arrest gave differing anticipated arraignment dates as the case moved into court, with some accounts initially listing Sept. 9 and a later report referring to the following morning. That timing difference does not change the underlying charge.

The case also left several important questions unanswered in the public record. Authorities had not announced a motive in the material reviewed, and the available reports did not establish whether Al-Mousa made any statement explaining why the house was allegedly set on fire. The reports also did not provide a final estimate of the property damage. What emergency agencies did establish was that the Sept. 7 blaze was intentionally set, that the house was empty when firefighters searched it and that nobody was injured. Those findings are separate from the question of criminal responsibility, which remains for the courts to resolve.

No later final disposition of the second-degree arson case was identified in the reliable public reporting reviewed through Oct. 20. The charge therefore should not be described as a conviction. The latest verified reporting places the matter in the criminal court process after Al-Mousa’s arrest, while the precise motive for the Labor Day fire and the ultimate resolution of the case remain publicly unresolved.

Author note: Last updated Oct. 20, 2026.