LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Some Clifton residents oppose a chemical plant being rebuilt after two people died in an explosion Tuesday — a call that is resonating in Louisville's halls of power.

The blast at Givaudan Sense Colour at 1901 Payne St. could be heard for miles around. It shattered windows of nearby homes and businesses, sending twisted shards of debris into yards and interior rooms and knocking pictures off walls.

The explosion was the second in just over two decades at the plant, which has been operated by Switzerland-based Givaudan since 2021. One worker was killed in 2003 when a tank overheated and burst, according to federal investigators' conclusion of what likely happened at the facility then operated by D.D. Williamson & Co. 

"It makes me feel awful because it's not 'if it will happen again, but when it will happen again,'" said Carly Johnson, who was home with her sick child on Tuesday. "Residents that have lived here for decades say it's the third time."

Johnson said her 4-year-old son had nightmares about the blast, dreaming "there was a monster" trying to blow up the house.

"It was like a bomb went off. It was terrifying," she said. "He slept awful last night. He woke up every hour screaming and crying, which is not a normal thing. He was wondering where we were."

Mayor Craig Greenberg said in an interview with WDRB News Wednesday afternoon that he is still gathering more information, "but I do think there are probably better locations in the city than this location to rebuild this plant."

Metro Council member Andrew Owen, D-9, who represents the area, told reporters at City Hall that Givaudan has been a good neighbor since he took office early last year. But he said he spoke with residents Wednesday morning who were "upset, and they're scared and angry." Owen said.

"I'll just be honest with you -- the neighbors want the company gone," Owen said. "They do not want the company to exist going forward. And my response to them was, 'I hear you.' I mean, I can't say for sure one way or the other of how that conversation is going to go, but I absolutely hear them, and I know they're upset and I know they're angry."

Owen said the plant, which has been at that site since at least the late 1940s, would not be permitted in the largely residential area under current zoning and land-use rules. Like other industrial users, it was "grandfathered in," he said. 

"This is a global company that we want to stay in Louisville. I will say that very loud and clear," Owen said. "So I think that will be a conversation that we have coming sooner than later, and whether, you know, it makes sense to encourage them to try to maybe reinvest in another location in Louisville -- that's a conversation that I'm certainly willing to have, and I think now is the time to have it. Maybe not today, but very soon."

Owen said it's not yet clear the extent of the damage to homes and businesses in the area. Greenberg said many homes were damaged — and many people were displaced as a result — and asked homeowners not to remove debris from their yards or touched damaged areas. He said people should contact their insurance carriers and call MetroSafe at 502-574-2117 to report damage.

The Louisville Fire Department is leading the investigation, along with state and federal partners. 

IMAGES | Explosion at plant in Louisville leaves wake of destruction, workers hospitalized

There are no known safety violations in the past 10 years at the plant, which was bought by Givaudan in 2021. But under the current ownership, the plant agreed to $7,500 in fines last year to settle allegations from Louisville’s Air Pollution Control District that company officials did not notify them about excess emissions and did not submit annual compliance reports.

On Wednesday, neighbors were cleaning up broken windows and pieces of glass on front porches and sidewalks. 

While Johnson has windows to fix, she knows two families are mourning the loss of loved ones who died in the explosion. Johnson's family didn't sleep at their home in the Clifton neighborhood on Tuesday night. They plan to return to their home after she gets more clarity on what was in the air.

"I want more information, I want to see how you've tested the air, I want the numbers," Johnson said. "I want the company reaching out. Nobody has reached out."

For now, she said has concerns about another blast at the plant.

"I hope they don't rebuild," she said. "I will do everything I can do be part of the committee to make that not happen."

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