ROSELAND - A damaged tank at the Smitty's Supply cleanup site burst on Monday afternoon. 

The EPA shared the following update:

"In the early afternoon of Sept. 1, a damaged tank at the Smitty’s Supply facility site overpressurized, causing a blowout of the tank roof. No one was injured and no other damage occurred. Response crews are continuing to assess remaining tanks for pressure issues to prevent further incidents."

As of Monday, 277 of the plant's 352 employees were let go after the initial explosion nearly two weeks ago. A total of 28 out of 87 employees at Big 4 Trucking, our fleet carrier subsidiary, were laid off.

WBRZ talked to residents who are still asking for answers from officials on what chemicals may have covered their properties.

"It'll never be the same, for sure," Roseland resident Amanda Wootan said.

Amanda Wootan lives less than a mile from Smitty's Supply. She said her family learned of the explosion while they were returning home from vacation. The family keeps horses, birds and goats on their property. The livestock had to be evacuated. Amanda Wootan says since the explosion, their lives have centered on cleaning up their property. Amanda Wootan said the family is concerned for their livestock, garden, pond, home and health.

"We have burnt insulation, as you can see, this is metal. It just crumbles to nothing, it's obviously been exposed to pretty high heat to make it that brittle," Evan Wootan, her husband, said.

The family went to the Roseland community meeting in Amite last week.

"The mayor, the leadership, the senators, it doesn't feel like they're standing up to get the answers we need. Like I said, we don't even know what's on our ground. This happened over a week ago," Evan Wootan said.

Stephanie Sea lives on the property next door. She is scared to permanently return home, only making trips to gather samples of the debris and residue left in her yard.

"Anything that I noticed that was changing, I took a sample of it, put it in a mason jar, and labeled it," Sea said. "Every day it's different out here. Every day, there's a different smell, a different taste, and it leaves different questions."

Like the Wootans, Sea is worried about long-term impacts.

"This is a different kind of grief. Having a totally unpredictable future with no answers leaves you not knowing what to do," she said.

With no end in sight to the cleanup, the residents wonder what comes next.

"Even if it is cleaned up, our property is not going to be worth what it was. What legacy does that leave down to my child to inherit?" Amanda Wootan said.