Worker killed, buried under 3 feet of tar at South Houston facility, HCFMO says
SOUTH HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A man is dead following a tar spill at a South Houston facility, according to the City of South Houston and the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office.
A large amount of liquid tar appeared to be spilled on the ground around a large tank at the Martin Asphalt facility, SkyEye13 images showed.
The HCFMO initially said it was responding to the incident in the 300 block of Christy Place on Wednesday afternoon.
According to officials, there were 50,000 gallons of tar, and the victim was buried under three feet of tar.
Martin Midstream Partners LP CFO Sharon Taylor said the victim's body has been recovered, but the cause of the incident has not been determined.
Officials said that the man who died was working at the time. At this time, officials didn't say whether they were a Martin Asphalt employee or otherwise.
As of Wednesday night, HCFMO officials said that recovery operations are complete, and the medical examiner's office is at the scene.
*Editor's note: Initially, authorities said the substance spilled was asphalt, but in an update on Thursday, the Pasadena Fire Marshal's Office said it was tar.*
