Police say a 68-year-old tenant started a bedroom fire that forced neighbors out into the night.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A 68-year-old Louisville woman is accused of setting fire to her apartment building during an eviction process, sending one person to a hospital and forcing residents from the two-story complex on Tazwell Drive before dawn on March 14.

Authorities say the fire quickly became more than a property loss case because other tenants were inside the building when the flames started. Investigators accuse Elizabeth H. Radmacher of intentionally starting the blaze in her bedroom, then leaving as neighbors scrambled to get out. Police say the case now carries arson, wanton endangerment and criminal mischief charges, with immediate questions focused on how close the fire came to spreading beyond her unit and whether anyone else could have been seriously hurt.

Fire crews were called to the 11400 block of Tazwell Drive around 3 a.m. and found smoke coming from the first floor of a two-story apartment building. According to charging records described by local outlets, investigators believe the fire began in Radmacher’s bedroom. Neighbor Chrictopha Hakizinana said he went door to door after realizing what was happening. “I knock at the doors and told everybody to get out because the fire is coming,” Hakizinana said. Other residents moved outside as firefighters worked the scene in the dark. Officials later said the blaze was controlled in 19 minutes, limiting the damage mainly to the defendant’s unit and nearby areas affected by smoke.

Police said multiple witnesses and officers heard Radmacher outside the building saying, “I’m going to kill everybody,” as residents watched the fire. Investigators also said she later claimed someone else had made her start it. The apartment directly above her unit was a major concern because a family of three, including a child, lived there, according to local reporting based on the arrest citation and complaint affidavit. One resident was taken to a nearby hospital. Authorities have not publicly detailed the person’s injuries, and there has been no public indication that anyone suffered life-threatening burns. Fire investigators estimated the damage at about $100,000.

The building did not become a total loss, but the incident still disrupted lives across the complex. Most residents were later allowed to return, while two people were displaced because of fire and smoke damage. The response involved firefighters from Anchorage Middletown and St. Matthews, underscoring how a single-room fire in a multi-unit building can turn into a wider emergency within minutes. Deputy Chief Mike Sutt of Anchorage Middletown Fire & EMS said the event also posed a threat to first responders, who had to enter a building where residents were still escaping and the fire’s path was not yet clear. In a case like this, the danger extends beyond one apartment because shared walls, stairwells and smoke can put upper-floor tenants at risk almost immediately.

By the time Radmacher appeared in court, the case had shifted from emergency response to criminal procedure. Local television stations reported that a judge set a $50,000 cash bond at her arraignment. She remained in custody in Louisville Metro Corrections after the arrest. Prosecutors are expected to rely on witness statements, fire scene findings and the arson bureau affidavit as the case moves ahead. The public record available so far does not explain how long the eviction process had been underway or whether Radmacher had legal representation at the time of the initial hearing. It also does not resolve what investigators meant when they said she claimed someone else made her set the fire.

Neighbors who spoke after the fire described a scene that felt close to catastrophe. One resident told local reporters the people living above Radmacher included a child and could have been badly burned or killed if the fire had spread faster. Sutt said the outcome could also have been worse for firefighters. The remarks gave the case a tone different from many routine apartment fires, focusing not only on damage but on how many chances there were for the situation to turn deadly. What remained visible after sunrise was a scorched apartment interior, soot-darkened walls and a building where most residents got to return, even as a criminal case continued to grow around what happened there.

The case stood on March 21 with Radmacher jailed, the bond set at $50,000 cash and the next court appearance scheduled for March 27, when prosecutors and the defense are expected to address the charges and any early case developments.

Author note: Last updated April 14, 2026.