LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The city of Louisville discussed plans Monday to demolish a home in the Highview neighborhood that has explosives and hazardous materials inside.

Last month, officials found more than 20 dangerous chemicals in a home and arrested its owner. A State of Emergency was declared after Louisville Metro Police executed a search warrant at 6211 and 6213 Applegate Lane.

"We're working as hard as we can to make sure that we address this situation," Mayor Craig Greenberg said at a public meeting Monday. "With as little disruption as possible."

A demolition order filed by the city lays out the dangerous situation in the home. Filed Aug. 1, it says both the home and the adjacent garage have "known explosives, explosive fumes or vapors or the presence of toxic fume gases, or material ..." It also said that if the buildings were ignited, they'd be in "imminent danger" of collapse, possibly endangering anyone around.

The order said there are more than 20 different chemicals on the property, and the destruction of the buildings "may itself be a dangerous situation." The order said there are gallons and tens of gallons of the chemicals on the premise.

Marc Hibel, 53, was arrested in connection to the findings. He was indicted last Thursday on first-degree burglary, second-degree burglary and wanton endangerment charges. Hibel pleaded not guilty to wanton endangerment and burglary charges on Monday. He's being held at Louisville Metro Corrections with a $50,000 bond. 

IMAGES | Inside the Highview home where explosives and chemicals were found

Louisville officials are trying to determine the best way to remove hazardous materials from the home on Applegate Lane. 

Louisville Metro Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said the department's anonymous tip line led to police learning about the concern in the community.

Monday, hundreds of people filled Highview Baptist Church during a public meeting outlining a potential burn, which would be planned and controlled, and could impact around 950 homes within a half-mile radius. 

Hibel and another person bought the property in 2004, though he's been the sole owner since 2010. He's received fines from Metro inspectors 21 times in the last three years for property maintenance violations such as junk on site, tall grass and exposed wiring.

The home is surrounded by a fence and will be protected by LMPD personnel and monitoring equipment 24/7.

The home at 6213 Applegate Lane would be the only home burned. Greenberg said the planned burn would only move forward if it could be done as safely as possible. He said they're also looking to other options.

"And that's why the EPA is coming here to explore other options before we move forward with the monitored and controlled burn. We are working on parallel paths, but we will not proceed until we are confident this is going to be the safest possible option, for you all, for our first responders, and for our entire city," Greenberg said. "This is not the easiest situation."

Jody Meiman, executive director of Louisville Emergency Services, said more than 60 people in local, state and federal organizations are working on the plan. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are assisting city officials.

The date for a potential controlled burn hasn't been selected yet. Meiman said the ideal day would be sunny, with low humidity and light wind. He expects the burn to take two to four hours for the fire to collapse into the basement.

Barricades will be set up with street closures prior to the burn. Officials said at least 48 hours notice would be provided if evacuation is necessary.

The city of Louisville is holding a public meeting to update Highview residents on the planned demolition of a "hoarder" house where officials found more than 20 dangerous chemicals and arrested its owner.

"We don't know what an evacuation area would look like yet," Greenberg said. "We knocked on around a thousand doors last week."

Pat Bender lives within a half-mile of the Applegate Avenue home. He attended the meeting at Highview Baptist Church in search of answers.

"Just scary in my eyes, I mean I've been through a lot, but I've never been through anything like this before," Bender said.

If an evacuation is necessary, Meiman said a shelter would be set up with food and accommodations in collaboration with the Red Cross. Officials were hopeful an overnight stay won't be necessary, and encouraged everyone to take their pets with them. Louisville Metro Animal Services is working to create a temporary shelter for animals.

"Our hope is this will be done during day time hours, this will be a very short time and duration," Greenberg said.

If a controlled burn happens, homeowners are encouraged to shut down heating and air conditioning, close windows and cover pools.

Greenberg said city officials have been in communication with Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) in case bus routes are impacted by the controlled burned.

The controlled burn of a home is relatively novel for city officials. Meiman said nationally there has only been about eight to 10 similar occurrences prior to the situation in Louisville in the past 10 to 15 years. 

The Legislative Research Commission told WDRB News state statutes give local government permission to do what it wants, so if the city orders evacuations and people don't listen, the blame is on them and not Metro Louisville. It's similar to situations in other states where people refuse to evacuate for a hurricane or wildfire. 

For now people who live near the Highview home are safe from any chemicals, according to city leaders.

"There is nothing different about the air or ground right now," Greenberg said. "Everyone's safety and health is the number one concern."

Meiman said air monitoring will continue for as long as needed after the burn.

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