ROSELAND — Explosions rocked an oils and lubricants company in Tangipahoa Parish on Friday afternoon, prompting evacuations for those within a mile of the site, including an elementary school.

Officials at a mid-afternoon news conference said no one was injured but offered scant details. The cause of the blast and fire wasn't known, and no one said what was on fire.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality was on scene monitoring air quality.

Thick black smoke rose from Smitty's Supply in Arcola, an unincorporated community on the northern edge of Roseland, beginning at 12:53 p.m. Blasts continued through the afternoon as flames swept among dozens of storage tanks at the site near the intersection of U.S. 51 and La. 10. 

Smitty's, a 56-year-old business, deals primarily in oils and lubricants but also manufactures brake fluid, power steering fluid and antifreeze, according to its website.

The evacuation zone extended along U.S. 51 between Amite and Fluker, State Police said.

The company's online profile says it has bulk storage tanks on site capable of holding 8.7 million gallons of material and is serviced by three railroad spurs. 

The Roseland Elementary School is about 4,000 feet from the blast site. The Tangipahoa Parish School Board sent school buses to ferry students to the board office in Amite, about 3 miles miles away. 

"Parents and guardians can pick up children from that site. Please be patient and work with us in this event. The safety of students and staff is at the top of our priority list," the school board said.

Roseland's mayor also said the town is being evacuated and people without a place to go are currently being sheltered at the Amite Community Center. Roseland is a community of about 1,000 people.

According to its website, Smitty's has more than 450 employees. It also has facilities in Hammond, Indiana; Jasper, Texas; and Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Smitty's was founded in 1969 by Ray and George Ann Smith and was sold in 2000 to their four sons.