Louisville man charged with arson after setting fire inside nursing home room, police say

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Louisville man is charged with first-degree arson after intentionally setting a fire inside a room at a nursing home.

Justin Campisano, an employee at Valhalla Post Acute on Shelby Station Drive in east Louisville, was arrested May 1 after the fire inside a room at the nursing home.

According to his arrest citation, Campisano is accused of intentionally starting the fire in a room at the facility. A witness, police said, heard him say 45 minutes before the fire started "I'm gonna get that old f***** out of here."

Police said Campisano is on surveillance video leaving the room just before the fire alarm went off.

"The safety of our residents and staff remains our number one priority," Dan Kramer, a spokesperson for Valhalla Post Acute, said in a written statement Tuesday. "The fire being reported in the media was immediately extinguished, no injuries were sustained and local emergency personnel responded quickly. The person charged regarding this event was removed from campus that evening and will not return. By law, we perform background checks for all employees and are not in violation of hiring ineligible individuals. Our internal investigation is ongoing and we are fully cooperating with law enforcement as well. Moving forward, we will continue to focus on the residents and staff members’ well-being."

The man who lived in the room, Daniel Fisher, said Tuesday he was at the hospital dealing with some stomach issues when the fire was set.

"The fire inspector came up to the hospital and told me a fire that started in my room," Fisher said.

Jordan Yuodis, with Anchorage-Middletown Fire and EMS, said the damage was minimal but could have been a lot worse.

"If the fire was still very, very small and suddenly we have 10 or 15 or 20 patients that have smoke inhalation, I mean, that instantly becomes a mass casualty incident," Yuodis said Tuesday.

Fisher was moved to a new room, and although Campisano was fired, he still has concerns.

"I am just a nervous wreck right now," he said. "To me, it was personal. He wants to kill me. That's the way I feel about it."

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