roseland, โคLouisiana – A large explosion at Smitty’s Supply, a lubricant manufacturer in Tangipahoa parish, prompted mandatory evacuations Friday afternoon. The incident, reported shortly before 1 p.m. local time, โคsent a significant plumeโข of smoke into the air and triggered a series of small, ongoing explosions.
Officials initially ordered a mandatory โขevacuation for those in the immediate vicinity of the โplant, expanding the zone to aโ 1-mile radius. The Tangipahoaโฃ Parish Sheriff’s Office advised residents toโข “Relocate โINSTANTLYโ andโค stay away from this area until further notice”โ via X, formerly known as Twitter. Residentsโฃ needing to retrieve medication or pets were โคinstructedโข to coordinate with theโฃ Sheriff’s Office for anโค escorted return.
An elementary school within the evacuation zone evacuated students to โฃa safe location in Amite City.
As ofโ late Friday afternoon, no injuries had been reported, โขa โfact โฃTangipahoa Parish President Robby Miller called “a godsend” duringโค a press briefing.โ The cause of โthe explosion remains under examination.
The Louisiana Department of Environmentalโ Quality โis monitoring the environmentalโฃ impact. Water samples are being collected for analysis, and officials are investigating the composition of the soot resulting from the fire. Initial air quality readings indicated results “below an actionable threshold,” according to Huggins.
Smitty’s Supply manufactures and distributes a range of โขlubricants, including โฃmotor oils. Theโ plant employs approximately 400 people, Miller stated.
Highway โ51โ at โคHighwayโ 10 โin Roseland remains โclosed following the explosion. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry stated, “We are monitoring this situation closely. Please follow โฃthe guidance โof your local officials. We are prayingโค for everyone’s safety.”
ABC news’ Jessica Gorman โคcontributed toโ this report.
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