AMITE — A Tangipahoa Parish man who lives 2.5 miles from an industrial complex that exploded and caught fire last week says operators didn't take enough precautions to prevent the disaster.

Sterling R. Jackson of Fluker says in a Tangipahoa Parish District Court lawsuit that he has been unable to clean soot and debris from his property since last Friday's explosion at Smitty's Supply in Roseland. Lawyer Jeffrey Berniard of New Orleans said the lawsuit was filed Tuesday.

"Upon information and belief, the defendant failed to properly maintain its facility and store the hazardous chemicals and petroleum products on its property, leading directly to the explosion and fire," the lawsuit says.

Jackson's home on Joynton Road is not within a mandatory evacuation zone established while thick, black smoke rose from the site, but Berniard asks that the lawsuit be given class-action status so others may join it. 

Jackson blames the manufacturer for the explosion and chemical debris released into the surrounding environment.

Officials have yet to say what caused the plant to burst into flames nor exactly what chemicals burned, nor what was in the plume that settled across the landscape for miles. An oily soot settled on fields, homes, ponds and rivers.

Berniard alleges people affected by the explosion suffered from personal injuries, property damage, emotional distress, relocation and evacuation costs, and loss of property value. Parish officials have said no one was injured, but several people sought treatment at nearby medical facilities,

Berniard said the lawsuit, should the court agree, would represent "all Louisiana residents and entities who suffered damages from the explosion."