Undefeated Plant & Refinery Explosion Lawyers
Our Plant Explosion Lawyers have filed a lawsuit on behalf of contractors and nearby residents who suffered injuries and serious breathing problems from smoke and toxic chemical exposure during the August 22, 2025 Smitty Supply Inc. explosion and massive fire in Roseland, Louisiana.
This disaster, which has been called one of the worst health and environmental crises in the Gulf Coast in years, comes less than 12 months after we filed suit on behalf of contractors and residents injured in the Pemex chemical release in Texas, making this one of the most dangerous years on record for plant and refinery explosions along the Gulf Coast.
Massive Ongoing Fire & Chemical Spill Delays Investigation into Smitty Supply Explosion
According to media reports, the Smitty’s Supply explosion occurred at approximately 1 p.m. on Friday, August 22. Residents as far as a mile away reported a rapid succession of explosions. The resulting fire burned for more than five days, consuming 20 acres of the Roseland facility — including storage tanks and equipment — and releasing at least 100,000 gallons of petroleum products, 100,000 gallons of firefighting foam, and other toxic chemicals into the air, soil, and water.
By Monday, August 25, officials reported the fire was 98% contained. At least 150 personnel from local, state, and federal agencies — including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) — remain on site. EPA on-scene coordinator Bray Fisher said the agency’s top priority is containing both the fire and the massive petroleum spill.
Investigators with the Louisiana State Fire Marshal and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are expected to begin examining the cause once the site is fully secured.
Smitty Supply Petroleum Spill Contamination & Health Hazards — What to Know
Although no immediate fatalities were reported, more than 850 residents were forced to evacuate within a one-mile radius of the plant on Friday. Dozens of households remain displaced.
Smoke & Chemical Exposure
The explosion released a massive black plume visible for miles. Contractors and residents exposed to the smoke have reported breathing difficulties and other symptoms consistent with toxic exposure. Long-term risks may include respiratory illnesses, chemical burns, and other serious health problems.
While the EPA claims the current air quality poses no “immediate” threat, monitoring is ongoing and health experts warn that delayed symptoms can still emerge.
Petroleum Spill into Tangipahoa River
With hundreds of thousands of gallons of petroleum products and firefighting foam released into local drainage ditches, ponds, and the Tangipahoa River, officials with the EPA, Louisiana State Police, and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality closed the river between LA 10 and LA 22 on Sunday, later extending the shutdown all the way to Lake Pontchartrain.
Cleanup crews constructed berms and deployed nearly 2,000 feet of containment booms to stop the damage. However, residents have already reported oily residue as far as 30 miles downstream in Ponchatoula, raising concerns about contamination spreading as far as Lake Pontchartrain.
Both petroleum byproducts and firefighting foams (PFAS) are toxic, posing severe risks to aquatic life, drinking water, and human health.
400 Smitty Supply Workers Laid Off by Email
In addition to devastating the community, the explosion triggered mass layoffs. Over the weekend, 400 workers were notified via email that their jobs were permanently terminated.
Smitty Supply issued a statement apologizing for the “uncertainty” facing its workforce and the community, but residents and former employees remain outraged — especially given the company’s recent history of egregious OSHA and EPA safety failures that have resulted in severe penalties and at least one tragic, entirely prevent fatality.
Founded in 1969, Smitty’s Supply is one of the largest privately-owned lubricant manufacturers in the U.S., with contracts involving major brands like Shell, Pennzoil, Quaker State, Chevron, and Castrol.
How Zehl & Associates Can Help Protect Your Rights After the Smitty Supply Explosion in Roseland, LA
With Billions won for workers and residents in the most devastating plant and refinery explosions in U.S. history, our attorneys have the resources and experience to take on the world’s largest petrochemical companies — and win record-breaking recoveries.
Our recent track record of standing up for plant workers and nearby residents include:
- Representing contractors and residents sickened by hydrogen sulfide exposure during the 2024 Pemex chemical release in Texas.
- Securing record-setting recoveries for workers injured in the 2023 Shell Deer Park, Texas plant explosion
If you or a loved one were impacted by the Smitty Supply explosion, it’s critical to speak to a lawyer as soon as possible. Even if you don’t believe you’ve been injured, symptoms from toxic exposure may not appear immediately and can cause lasting or even permanent consequences.
Contact our Undefeated Plant Explosion Lawyers to protect your health, your rights, and your future. We know exactly what it takes to stand up, fight, and win for you and your family.
Injured in the Smitty Supply Explosion in Roseland, Louisiana? Call 1-8888-603-3636 for a Free Consult.
Our Undefeated Refinery Accident Lawyers are actively monitoring the Smitty Supply disaster and will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available. In addition to being undefeated, our attorneys have won Billions for thousands of people injured or tragically killed in the worst industrial explosions and disasters in recent history.
If you or a loved one were hurt in the Smitty Supply explosion in Roseland, LA, please call 1-888-603-3636 or send us a confidential email via our Contact Us form.
Consultations are always free, and you won’t owe us anything unless we win your case.