Firefighters found a small fire burning behind an occupied restaurant in the 2100 block of Frankfort Avenue at 6:51 p.m. on August 6, 2026, and surveillance footage later showed two people were responsible for starting it. Six weeks later, those two people remain unidentified, and Louisville Fire is now asking the public for help tracking them down.
Video Shows Two People Setting the Blaze
As reported by WHAS-TV, crews extinguished the fire outside the occupied restaurant after surveillance video captured the pair igniting it. Per the seed reporting from WLKY, fire crews arriving at the scene found the small fire coming from the back of the restaurant while people were still inside. The Louisville Fire Department has since released a photo of the two persons of interest, saying they are believed to have direct knowledge of the case.
The station's report notes investigators are now asking anyone with information to call 502-574-3721 or submit anonymous tips to the LMPD tip line at 502-574-5673, according to WDRB. The latest update centers on the investigation.
Steep Penalties Under Kentucky Law
Because people were inside the restaurant when the fire was set, whoever is ultimately identified could face serious charges. Under Kentucky Revised Statutes § 513.020, setting a fire in an occupied building constitutes Arson in the First Degree, a Class A felony carrying a potential sentence of 20 to 50 years or life imprisonment, according to the Kentucky General Assembly. A cited case also involved first-degree wanton-endangerment charges, as detailed in filings reviewed by Justia Law.
The investigation falls to the Louisville Metro Arson Bureau, a specialized division within the Louisville Division of Fire that leads investigations into incendiary and suspicious fires across Jefferson County, according to LouisvilleKY.gov. That bureau has a busy caseload: it investigated 357 fire incidents citywide in 2025, officially determining that 109 of those blazes were intentionally set, per a Hoodline report on the bureau's workload.
A Corridor With a History of Fires
This isn't the first major fire on this exact stretch of Frankfort Avenue. The same 2100 block was the site of an early-morning warehouse fire on October 9, 2022, when a blaze destroyed a 3,000-square-foot commercial building and required nearly 40 firefighters to bring under control, according to the Louisville Fire Department. The corridor itself carries deeper historical weight.
The Clifton stretch of Frankfort Avenue has also seen notable commercial turnover in recent weeks. Hoodline reported that Adelita Mexican Restaurant is leaving its 765-square-foot space in Clifton to expand into a larger footprint in Butchertown.
Part of a Broader Pattern
The Clifton case is discussed alongside another recent fire in Louisville. The article also references another recent fire in Louisville. Investigators have not indicated whether that case or others handled recently by the Metro Arson Bureau are connected to the Frankfort Avenue incident, and no link between the cases has been established.
For now, the two people caught on surveillance video setting the Clifton restaurant fire remain unnamed, and the Louisville Fire Department is counting on the public to help close that gap. Anyone with information is urged to call the numbers investigators have provided.
