A worker is dead after being buried beneath three feet of asphalt when a tank carrying 50,000 gallons of searing hot asphalt ruptured and spilled in South Houston, authorities said.
The deadly accident happened around 3:30 p.m. at the Martin Asphalt facility near Christy Place and Texas Street, according to city officials and the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office.
The spill engulfed part of the site, trapping the worker under what officials estimated to be three feet of asphalt. A source told FOX26 the temperature of the tar was about 210 degrees (98C).
Emergency crews, including Houston Fire Department HAZMAT teams and local responders, arrived shortly after the rupture. They recovered the worker’s body, though officials said the process took time due to the conditions.
Martin Asphalt has confirmed that the worker is an employee, but their identity has not yet been released.
Officials said air monitoring continued into Wednesday evening, but insisted there is no danger to the surrounding community. Recovery operations have since been completed.
Martin Midstream Partners LP CFO Sharon Taylor told ABC13 that the victim's body has been recovered, but the cause of the incident has not been determined.
“Martin Asphalt confirms with deep regret that an employee involved in a recent incident at our South Houston, Texas asphalt terminal has died,” the company said in a statement. “This is a tragic situation, and we are treating it with the utmost seriousness at every level of our company.”
The statement went on to say that “Safety is a fundamental priority for our company. We maintain established safety procedures and emergency response protocols across our operations, and those protocols were activated. We have commenced a comprehensive internal review of the incident and are in the process of gathering and evaluating all relevant facts and information. We are also cooperating with appropriate governmental authorities in connection with their reviews.”
Details surrounding the rupture remain unclear, but the Pasadena Fire Marshal’s Office is leading the investigation, officials said.
“At this time, the cause of the incident has not been determined,” Martin Asphalt stated. “It would be inappropriate to speculate prior to the completion of the review processes. Our focus is on ensuring a thorough, objective, and methodical evaluation of the circumstances.”
“Our deepest sympathies are with the employee’s family during this difficult time,” the statement continued. “We are focused on supporting those affected, including providing appropriate resources to our workforce.”
