Inset: Elizabeth H. Radmacher (Louisville Metro Corrections). Background: The apartment complex Radmacher allegedly set ablaze in Louisville, Ky. (Google Maps).
A woman from Kentucky has been incarcerated following accusations of igniting her apartment building in response to an impending eviction, as reported by state authorities.
Elizabeth H. Radmacher, aged 68, faces charges including arson, wanton endangerment, and criminal mischief, according to the Louisville Metro Police Department.
The incident reportedly took place on March 14 at a residential complex on Tazwell Drive, situated in the far northeastern part of Louisville.
In the early hours, around 3 a.m., Radmacher allegedly set fire to the multi-unit building, as detailed in an arrest report reviewed by WDRB, a local Fox affiliate, and a criminal complaint affidavit from the Louisville Metro Arson Bureau, obtained by WAVE, an NBC affiliate.
The affidavit claims that Radmacher “intentionally” sparked the blaze in her bedroom before exiting the premises.
As the fire spread, other occupants had to evacuate to ensure their safety, according to police statements.
While people watched their building burn outside, multiple witnesses and members of law enforcement said they heard Radmacher say “I”m going to kill everybody,” according to the charging documents.
She also said someone else made her set the blaze, police claim.
At the time of the incident, Radmacher was in the process of being evicted, according to the arrest citation.
“I knock at the doors and told everybody to get out because the fire is coming,” a neighbor told local CBS affiliate WLKY.
The inferno created a risk to multiple residents, including the people living directly above Radmacher, authorities said. At the time, around eight other tenants who were home were forced to leave the building.
It was the family of three living above the defendant that caused police to file the wanton endangerment and criminal mischief charges on top of the lone count of arson, according to law enforcement.
“I feel sorry for them,” another neighbor told WLKY. “He had a kid up there, so he could have been badly burned or killed.”
One person was transported to a nearby hospital as a result of the fire, police said.
In the end, the fire was controlled before it could spread far beyond Radmacher’s own unit. A total of 29 firefighters from two different departments spent 19 minutes putting out the fire.
Still, the incident caused some $100,000 in damage, according to fire investigators.
Most residents were able to move back into the building without incident, but two were displaced due to damage from smoke and fire, Anchorage Middletown Fire Deputy Chief Matt Sutt told WDRB.
“It’s a concern that our people could be potentially hurt or killed as well,” Sutt said, stressing the danger to all involved.
The defendant is being detained in Louisville Metro Corrections on $50,000 bond.
Radmacher is next slated to appear in court on March 27.
