What happened

Multiple explosions and fire destroyed Smitty's Supply's automotive petroleum-products facility in Roseland. The company manufactured, blended, packaged and distributed lubricants, oils, brake fluid, power-steering fluid, antifreeze and related products; available authoritative reporting does not support describing every burned product as a motor-fuel additive. A one-mile evacuation initially displaced roughly 800 residents, while employees and a nearby school were also evacuated. No injuries were reported. The fire involved above-ground tanks, drums and cylinders and took approximately two weeks to extinguish completely. Petroleum products and oily residue reached surrounding land and waterways, including the Tangipahoa River, prompting an EPA-led hazardous-material response and extended cleanup. The precise initiating cause and full chemical inventory were not established in the reviewed public sources.

When cited sources give different casualty, damage or spill figures for this event, they’re reported side by side above rather than merged into one number. See how confidence levels work.