LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Crews are preparing to demolish the Highview home found with dangerous chemicals inside.

No one is allowed to drive up and down Applegate Lane as it is closed, but if you look down the street, you can see construction equipment as crews prepare to start demolishing the home.

The view from above shows shipping containers bordering the property line. It appears as if the Environmental Protection Agency has removed the top layer of soil from around the home.

This is all in preparation of demolition which could start as early as Oct. 16. The EPA said it will start by removing structural components of the home.

It said as hazardous materials are removed, they will be put in a buried steel container, crushed and mixed with sand to prevent any potential reactions.

It will then be disposed of off-site.

The demolition should take less than a month. Neighbors WDRB spoke with said bring on the wrecking ball and get it over with.

"I love that," Betty Mcurdy, who lives nearby, said. "In the beginning when they said they were going to burn it, that was a little scary."

What they call an air monitoring network will be put into place to make sure the air is safe for the surrounding residents.

The Highview home belonged to 53-year-old Marc Hibel, a former chemist, who was found with multiple explosives and dangerous chemicals inside.

The city originally planned to burn the home down but the EPA said this would be a safer option.

"We ask the community to be patient because you know, there is going to be some, some inconvenience," Jody Meiman, with Louisville Metro Emergency Services and Emergency Management, said on Oct. 5.

Hibel is charged with burglary and wanton endangerment. His attorney is trying to block the demo from happening, saying destroying the house will also destroy evidence that could help in his case.

The home is expected to be leveled by the end of the month. For more information or updates, click here. 

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