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 of hazardous waste, having damaged or leaky containers and lead batteries, and, while it's not directly mentioned in the list, they also found several drums of unknown material labeled as "radioactive" sitting out in the open.

Inspectors estimated there were more than 200 spills, at least 250 damaged containers, and more than 300 unlabeled or unidentified containers.

Though these findings may be new to the public, the WBRZ Investigative Unit spoke to a former employee several days after the fire, who told us about some of these concerns.

"When I was there, I can't tell you how many incidents there were where something would catch on fire, things would be left in the wrong places..." said the employee, who only wanted to be known by her last name, Padilla. 

"We would have these 55-gallon drums of gas and oils and lubricants and stuff, and they'd just sit to the roof," she said. 

Padilla told us the fire wasn't surprising to her based on her experience there.

"There's an entire warehouse where they put the damaged drums, so instead of dealing with it the right way and disposing of it correctly, they would just shove it into this warehouse, and this warehouse would leak all over the floor. Every time it rained, it would flood with oil and water in there."

Independent tester Scott Smith, with whom we've done several reports, said the new report proves a lot of his own findings from extensive testing of nearby waterways and soil.

"It explains a lot that we are seeing," he said.

Smith's testing has detected the presence of several cancer-causing substances, as far as 50 miles from Smittys, which he believes washed into the waterways after heavy rain.

"If Smitty's had been operated with any semblance of safety standards and regulations, not only would the event have never happened, the event would still not be ongoing."

Earlier this week, the EPA issued a compliance order, demanding that Smitty's stop and clean all spills and releases, and secure any remaining containers within 60 days.