AN explosion has rocked a chemical plant in Louisiana, sparking a raging inferno and sending thick smoke billowing into the air.
Evacuation orders are in place as health fears are raised after locals say they can “taste the air” as oily rain continues to cover Roseland, a town 50 miles northeast of Baton Rouge.
The explosion at the Smitty’s Supply plant that manufactures lubricants for vehicles took place on Friday afternoon, but officials are still fighting to extinguish the blaze.
In an update on Saturday night, the fire was 90% contained.
No one has been injured in the shocking incident, which Tangipahoa Parish President Robby Miller said was a “godsend”.
However, as the fire continues to burn at the plant sending chemicals into the sky, locals say they are being showered with oil and reporting concerning health issues.
Government officials have said they are monitoring air quality levels in the area and that so far there is no danger to the public.
“We are monitoring this situation closely,” Louisiana governor Jeff Landry wrote on X on Friday.
In a Saturday update he added: “The situation at Smitty’s Supply is devastating and Sharon and I have Tangipahoa Parish in our prayers.
“We are working closely with local officials to extinguish the fire.
“This is still an ongoing situation, and we urge all in the area to continue following evacuation guidance.”
Everyone living within one mile of the plant has been evacuated from their homes and an elementary school was closed on Friday with a shuttle bus ferrying children to a nearby town.
But still, those living in nearby areas have reported rain mixed with oil falling on their homes and vehicles.
“You got oil on the ground, oil on the road,” 66-year-old Gerri Stout who evacuated with her husband told NOLA.com.
“We got oil on our car, and we brought our car with us to the shelter.”
HEALTH FEARS
Stout who has been diagnosed with asthma and lung disease said the impact of the air quality on her body has been “really bad”.
The pair fled their home to Amite City, almost three miles south of Roseland, where others have also gone to.
Ross Cutrer arrived at the safe zone and immediately took his vehicle to a car wash on Saturday morning to remove the unusual black substance.
“I don’t dwell on it. But I did have a sore throat last night,” he told the outlet.
“You can kind of taste it in the air.”
On Saturday, Sergeant William Hugging from Louisiana State Police told reporters that air monitoring showed “non-detect levels or results below any actionable thresholds”.
But locals have already refuted that claim with Jamie-David DeLaughter writing on Facebook: “Right… Convincing people that lives only 2 miles away, might be tricky.
“Our yard is covered in oil. The air quality is very likely to not be safe.”
He later added that one of his dogs had started “wheezing” and that the air quality was “irritating” him and his children’s asthma.
His previous posts show pictures of thick oil covering the ground, the American flag hanging outside his home, and the porch after “it rained oil” for over 45 minutes.
The plant stores ethanol, charcoal lighter fluid, gas oil mixture, motor oil, lubricants and hydraulic fluids, diesel, brake fluid, grease, and several unnamed water-based chemicals, it told state regulators in 2023.
“We are doing our best to protect people, structures and the environment,” Miller said in Friday’s press conference.
“We know there are a lot of questions. We’re working to get answers,” he added on Saturday.
“We’re fighting a big fire. It’s not as big as yesterday, but it’s still big.”
It is not yet known what caused the explosion at the plant which employs around 400 people.
Louisiana State Police have said that more answers are expected once the fire has been fully extinguished, at which point a major clean-up operation will be underway and a hotline set up.