Explosions rocked an oils and lubricants company in Tangipahoa Parish on Friday afternoon, prompting evacuations for those within a mile of the site, including an elementary school.
Firefighters pulled back from the scene as explosions continued into the afternoon, and some residents in Amite, about 3 miles to the south, reported an oily residue was falling on the community and settling on cars, homes and pools.
Officials at a mid-afternoon news conference said no one was injured but offered scant details. The cause of the blast and fire wasn’t known, and no one said what was on fire. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality was on scene monitoring air quality.
Thick black smoke rose from Smitty’s Supply in Arcola, an unincorporated community on the northern edge of Roseland, beginning at 12:53 p.m. Blasts continued through the afternoon as flames swept among dozens of storage tanks at the site near the intersection of U.S. 51 and La. 10.
Smitty’s, a 56-year-old business, deals primarily in oils and lubricants but also manufactures brake fluid, power steering fluid and antifreeze, according to its website.
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Author: Marty Kaufmann
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