An explosion at the Smitty’s Supply lubricant plant just north of Roseland in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, ignited a large fire and sent a dense column of black smoke into the air shortly before 1 p.m. local time Friday. The company, which produces and distributes motor oils and other automotive fluids, employs about 400 people. Parish officials said no injuries had been reported, calling the absence of casualties a "godsend." Authorities ordered residents and businesses within a one-mile radius to evacuate, and bused students from a nearby elementary school to Amite City as a precaution. Highway 51 at Highway 10 was closed, and state and local emergency crews, along with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, were on site monitoring air quality and assessing chemical risks. Tangipahoa Parish President Robby Miller said responders were "doing our best to protect people, structures and the environment," while Governor Jeff Landry urged residents to follow official guidance. The cause of the blast remains under investigation, and officials have not provided a timeline for when the fire will be extinguished or when evacuees may return.