LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Residents in Louisville's Highview neighborhood remain uneasy as they await the fate of a home filled with dangerous chemicals just doors down from where they live.
"We just hope they don't burn it [down]," Linda Edwards, who lives at the intersection of Applegate Lane and Timmy Lane, said.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is back in Louisville this week to clean up the house on 6211 Applegate Lane -- the neighboring home to the one with more than 20 hazardous chemicals inside.
EPA officials announced the cleanup operation Friday after they identified mercury immediately outside and inside the home, within the area that's fenced off.
But the big question circles around what'll happen to the main property in question, the home at 6213 Applegate Lane. Federal guidance on how to safely dispose of the chemicals hoarded inside the property is expected to be released some time this week.
"It's hard to believe one person can cause so much disruption," Edwards said, referring to Marc Hibel who is the owner of the home and in custody at Louisville Metro Corrections.
Neighbors just down the street like Edwards and Carol Morris say authorities knocked on their doors Monday, telling them not to be alarmed by any loud noises over the next few days.
"Some loud firecracker sounds," Morris was told to be ready for.
It's been nearly a month since the city first notified the community about the potential dangers inside the fenced off properties on Applegate Lane.
Edwards and Morris both tell WHAS11, the thought of incinerating the chemicals still sounds scary to them.
"We just hope they don't burn it up," Edwards said. "I'm hoping they can take it apart."
On Monday, Morris told WHAS11 she would like to know the decision, but knows "they're doing the best they can."
"There are lots of things that could go wrong -- it's just kind of scary, not knowing really what's going to happen," Morris said, including the possibility of home evacuations for safety. "But it sounds like there's a good possibility that they might have to [burn down the home]."
The security detail around the homes have been nonstop, so much so one officer was even sent to the hospital Friday after a tree fell on her cruiser during severe weather.
This week, EPA officials are expected to reveal their guidance on whether they can dispose of the chemicals, piece by piece.
Until then, people living along Applegate Lane remain uneasy on what lies ahead.
Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness started free mercury testing for neighbors on Monday. As of noon, a spokesperson for the Health Department says they haven't yet had anyone sign up.
If you've walked on the property recently and would like to get your shoes or car floor boards tested, you can make an appointment by calling (502) 574-6650.
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