Cleanup underway after deadly hazmat spill at South Houston asphalt facility

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Cleanup continues at the Martin Asphalt Facility in the City of South Houston after the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office said one worker was killed during a hazmat incident.

According to a firefighter at the scene, tar leaked out from a storage barrel at about 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

The Pasadena Fire Marshal's Office is the lead investigative agency and told ABC13 the cause of the incident is still under investigation, and cleanup will take a few days.

On Thursday, officials said crews are waiting on a crane to move heavy machinery so they can continue looking for evidence as part of their investigation.

So far, no air quality alerts have been issued.

ABC13 spoke with Raquel Montoro, who lives across the street from the facility. She said her granddaughter was headed home from school and was frightened by a loud boom. Raquel also said she could smell a strong odor when she opened her window.

"It was a strong odor like petroleum," she said. "It was very strong."

At this time, there is no estimate on how long the cleanup could take.