Tagged News

• Documents on Smitty's explosion aftermath suggest EPA knew more about risks of public health impact Play Video

  April 3, 2026 11:46 PM

  ROSELAND - The explosion at Smitty's Supply took place on Aug. 22 of last year. Nearly 8 months later, residents in Roseland say they are still feeling the impacts. Roseland resident and Pastor Marvin Vernon said he never experienced migraines, like he does now, until after the Smitty's explosion.... more »

• Newly released inspection report shows major issues with Smitty's Supply before fire Play Video

  January 16, 2026 6:37 PM

  ROSELAND — A newly released inspection report by the Environmental Protection Agency shows major red flags in how Smitty's Supply was managed before the fire that destroyed it in August 2025. According to the 230-page report, inspectors found more than 25 'areas of concern', including improper storage and disposal... more »

• State officials downplay arsenic found in Tangipahoa River seafood after Smittys Supply explosion

  November 1, 2025 8:49 PM

  ROSELAND ( La. Illuminator ) — Seafood tissue samples taken from the Tangipahoa River last month contained harmful levels of arsenic in five of the 13 samples tested, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality reported. It’s the latest update from state officials on the river’s health after the Aug.... more »

• Tangipahoa River reopens to public while crews continue cleanup after Smitty's Supply explosion Play Video

  October 31, 2025 2:43 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The Tangipahoa River reopened to the public on Friday, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and the Tangipahoa Parish Government announced. This announcement comes more than two months after an explosion at Smitty's Supply polluted the river. While the river is now open from Lees... more »

• Gov. Landry, EPA give update on cleanup efforts more than a month after Smitty's Supply explosion Play Video

  October 1, 2025 12:37 PM

  AMITE — State and federal officials said Wednesday they have cleaned up more than 4 million gallons of oil more than a month after explosions at Smitty's Supply polluted the area with an oily chemical residue, but they are still just three-quarters of the way finished. WATCH THE PRESS... more »

• Portion of Tangipahoa River open weeks after Roseland plant explosion Play Video

  September 8, 2025 6:38 PM

  ROSELAND — A portion of the Tangipahoa River is open to marine traffic around two weeks after Roseland plant explosion. As of 3 p.m. Monday, the Tangipahoa River was opened from Black Bayou to the mouth of the river. The Tangipahoa Parish Government asks any marine traffic not... more »

• Officials address oil leak concerns in Tangipahoa River Play Video

  August 25, 2025 9:43 PM

  AMITE - During a press conference held in Amite, Gov. Jeff Landry and several officials from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality addressed concerns about oil leaking following an explosion at Smitty's Supply in Roseland into the Tangipahoa River. "Based on current data,... more »

• Body, believed to be 9-year-old girl, found in Tangipahoa River

  June 25, 2017 6:57 PM

  INDEPENDENCE – The body of 9-year-old Gabrielle McCoy, who went missing in the Tangipahoa River on June 25, is believed to have been found on Tuesday morning, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office reports. The body was recovered around 7 a.m. about two miles south of the Highway 40 bridge... more »

• Ponchatoula man dead after camp fire on Tangipahoa River

  January 24, 2016 6:34 PM

  LEE’S LANDING – Investigators believe a wood burning stove was the cause of a deadly fire at a camp on the Tangipahoa River that left one man dead and one woman with burns. State and local fire investigators responded to a fire at a camp on the Tangipahoa River... more »