LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A house containing chemicals and potential explosives in the Highview neighborhood must be burned down, according to city officials.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg made the announcement at a news briefing Tuesday morning, nearly one week after 53-year-old Marc Hibel was arrested in connection to reports of hazardous materials in the home. 

Hibel was charged with wanton endangerment and LMPD said additional charges could be possible.

"The chemical experiments conducted by Hibel were reckless and highly dangerous. Those experiments are over," said LMPD Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel.

Acting on tips from the public, two properties in the 6200 block of Applegate Lane were searched last week by Louisville Metro Police officers and other law enforcement officials, who found hazardous materials.

According to documentation, there were explosives and "massive amounts" of chemicals located. Officials said there were more than 20 different chemicals identified. 

A citation said Hibel stated that he had previously made homemade explosives and homemade blasting caps that he detonated in his backyard. 

Police said Hibel owns one of the homes and has been squatting in the other house on the corner. Gwinn-Villaroel referred to Hibel's living situation as that of a hoarder's during Tuesday's news briefing. 

"6213 Applegate is an absolute hoarder house and due to the large amount of explosive materials and industrial grade chemicals in a hoarding environment, it is extremely difficult to clear the area safely," she said.

The LMPD Bomb Squad, Hazardous Incident Response Team, Kentucky National Guard, and FBI Bomb Team took part in last week's search. Two controlled detonations were performed following the search.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Tuesday that in the home Hibel was believed to be squatting in, chemicals have been safely removed. However, at the property next door owned by Hibel, hazardous materials remain inside and it's not safe to enter, partly because of the hoard.

"It is simply not safe for our specially trained LMPD officials or anyone to manually remove and dispose of all the material inside this home. Future, continued use of robots is not an option given the amount of clutter throughout the house," said Greenberg.

Greenberg said experts from several agencies have recommended "a planned, monitored, and controlled burn" as the only way to safely dispose of the rest of the hazardous material inside the home. 

Greenberg declared a state of emergency Monday to make sure officials have access to any needed resources as quickly as possible. It will take several days to enact a plan to safely incinerate the materials in the home. Until then, the home is surrounded by a fence and will be protected by LMPD personnel and monitoring equipment 24/7.

He said Hibel is in jail and is not allowed near the property. 

"Even if he were to get out of house on bail, if he went anywhere near the house, law enforcement will be there waiting for him," said Greenberg.

Greenberg said the property is safer now than it has been in a long time. 

"LMPD, and our partners, are going to do everything we can to keep the community safe," LMPD Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said in a news release. "From keeping the location secure, to managing the controlled burn, to assisting in ensuring residents are being kept safe, we will see this process through as quickly and safely as possible. I want to thank the community in advance for their help as we work with them to keep everyone safe."

Greenberg said according to advice the city has received about the controlled burn, it will "incinerate these chemicals at a very high temperature and that is the safest path forward."

He also mentioned the fire would be remotely set and said if a localized evacuation is necessary during the burn, a shelter will be set up for those impacted.

There will be a community meeting next week to let neighbors know what to expect and when to expect the burn. Greenberg said if any evacuations nearby are necessary the city will make a place available for people to go.

Mary Sutton, who grew up in a house nearby said she's concerned for her 96-year-old mother who still lives in the neighborhood. 

"You never know who's living in your neighborhood or down the street from you, if you don't know your close neighbors, but it's just worrying about the safety of all this and -- that's our main concern," said Sutton. 

She said she feels better after talking with Councilman Jeff Hudson, who was going door-to-door answering questions for neighbors after Tuesday's news conference. 

Sutton said she's glad to see the city doing something about the property and will attend the meeting next week to learn more. However, she likely won't leave her mother at home the day the home down the road is burned.

"We want her out of here when it happens just cause, how can you do a controlled burn and tell me there's no issues health-wise or ... because you're still burning whatever's in that house," she said.

Police said this case is a perfect example of someone seeing something and saying something, and community tips helped lead to this investigation.

Greenberg said the criminal investigation is still ongoing and the public will be advised once a date for the burn is set.

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