“Although there is less visible smoke today, the fire is still burning,” Louisiana State Police posted Saturday on Facebook about an explosion at a plant in Roseland, La. “This remains an active and complex incident; please do not let your guard down.” Photo by Louisiana State Police/Facebook
Aug. 23 (UPI) — A mandatory evacuation remains Saturday within a 1-mile radius of a lubricant manufacturer and distributor in Louisiana that exploded one day earlier.
Smitty’s Supply, which employs about 400 people at the plant, erupted at 1 p.m. CDT Friday in a plume of black smoke in Roseland, which is 81 miles north of New Orleans.
The fire is continuing to burn, local, state and federal officials said at a briefing Saturday morning.
Several small explosions erupted, Louisiana Police Sgt. William Huggins said at the briefing but there were no new risks.
“We’re fighting a big fire,” Tangipahoa Parish President Robby Miller said. “It’s not as big as yesterday, but it’s still big.”
“Although there is less visible smoke today, the fire is still burning,” Louisiana State Police posted Saturday on Facebook. “This remains an active and complex incident; please do not let your guard down.”
Forty-six people are in a shelter in Amite City, a few miles from the evacuation zone. Originally, 202 people showed up. Tonya Mabry, executive director of housing in Tangipahoa Parish, said the site will be open as long as needed.
“I got health problems,” one evacuee told Nolo.com, noting his asthma. “I just didn’t want to be in my trailer.”
No injuries were reported, “which is a godsend,” Miller said.
The cause isn’t known, he said.
Soot is believed to contain combustibles and hydrocarbon chemicals, Huggins said.
“Relocate IMMEDIATELY and stay away from this area until further notice,” the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office said on X.
Outside the evacuation area, residents are urged to remain indoors when possible, wash their hands frequently, avoid touching their face and avoid direct contact with soot.
Huggins said updated air quality readings indicate “below an actionable threshold,” Huggins said.
Debris wound up in the nearby Tangipahoa River. Water samples will be collected for environmental impact analysis, officials said.
In 2023, Smitty’s officials told state regulators storage tanks can typically hold ethanol, charcoal lighter fluid, gas oil mixture, motor oil, lubricants and hydraulic fluids, diesel, brake fluid, grease and various unnamed water-based chemicals.