ROSELAND - As cleanup continues in Roseland and surrounding areas in the wake of the August explosion at Smitty's Supply, a courtroom trial attorney said around 3,000 people submitted claims for a class action lawsuit against the company.

Trial specialist and courtroom trial attorney Lewis Unglesby told WBRZ in Baton Rouge on Tuesday, more than 20 law firms are working on the suit, and said the damage goes beyond the initial explosion.

"Certainly Smitty's qualifies as something of a potential catastrophe," Unglesby said. "There are some concerns that what was done to put the fire out may itself have added a significant number of contaminants to the circumstances."

On Aug. 22, an explosion at Smitty's Supply covered Roseland and parts of Tangipahoa Parish in oil and residue. In September, the EPA released a 305-page report listing what was in the millions of gallons of petrochemicals released into the air, ground and water. Earlier this month, the EPA transferred site management back to Smitty's Supply which is now responsible for remediation, with LDEQ responsible for waterways and ponds.

Unglesby said the law firms hired independent testing experts to sample soil and water, and the results have not returned.

"Early testing that the lawyers invested in reflects the presence of some dioxins. None of this is made by Mother Nature. None of this is good for you. None of this belongs in the environment," he said.

When the results do come in, Unglesby urged people to be ready.

"We've filed to have it class certified. A judge has appointed a group of lawyers to be in charge of this and has appointed these twenty law firms, which are working diligently to get to the bottom of this," he said. "We hope within the next two months or so, there should be some real answers to what kind of problem this is."

On Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, there will be a town hall meeting at 6 p.m. at the Amite Community Center. It is located at 200 SW Railroad Ave. Per the Smitty's Supply Litigation Plaintiff Steering Committee (PSC) Claim Office, the meeting will allow those who submitted claims to hear from the Plaintiff's Steering Committee, community leaders and environmental experts. Those who wish to sign up for the lawsuit can call the PSC at 985-355-9101 for more information or visit this Facebook page for updates.

WBRZ did reach out to the EPA and Smitty's Supply for an update. Information about the EPA regarding Smitty's Supply can be found here.

Unglesby and the PSC also provided a list of firms participating in the lawsuit, see below:

-Fayard & Honeycutt
-Robert J. Carter, APLC.
-Edwards & Stevens
-Anderson Traylor Edwards
-Jones Swanson Huddell LLC
-McShan Law Firm
-Bruno & Bruno, L.L.P.
-Lambert, Zainey, Smith & Soso, APLC
-Martzell, Bickford & Centola
-Daly & Black
-Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys
-Sangisetty Law Firm, LLC
-Tucker Law Firm
-Leger & Shaw
-Gower Legal LLC
-Hoover Law Firm
-Jeff Berniard Law
-Kleinpeter Boutwell
-Kopfler & Hermann
-McIntire & McIntire, LLC
-Mike Brander Law
-O'Bell Law Firm, LLC
-Ron Austin Law, LLC
-Michael Hingle
-Singleton Schreiber, LLP
-Unglesby & Macy
-Cassandra Butler
-Lewis Unglesby
-Irpino, Avin & Hawkins Law Firm
-Zehl & Associates, PC