Man dies after 50,000-gallon asphalt spill at South Houston facility

A tank rupture at a South Houston asphalt plant turned deadly when about 50,000 gallons of asphalt spilled across the Martin Asphalt facility on Christy Place, burying an unidentified worker under roughly 3 feet of the heavy material. Emergency crews rushed to the 300 block of Christy Place near Galveston Road and Spencer Highway, where the scene quickly became a hazardous recovery operation instead of a routine industrial response.

The call came in around 3:30 p.m. on April 29, and the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office, the City of South Houston, and Houston Fire Department hazmat and rescue units all converged on the site. SkyEye video showed a large amount of liquid asphalt pooled around a damaged tank, a visual sign of how far the spill spread before crews could secure the area. The body was later recovered after responders worked through the thick, sticky material and the damaged tank area.

Reports identified the site as Martin Asphalt, also known as Martin Resource Management, at 300 Christy Place. Company information describes the South Houston property as one of two manufacturing plants in the company’s system, and business listings show the asphalt operation has been on Christy Place for years. Martin Asphalt says it has supplied paving and roofing asphalts since 1947, underscoring that this was a long-running industrial site with significant storage and handling operations, not a small-scale accident scene.

The death highlights the risks that come with large-volume storage tanks in Harris County’s industrial corridor, where heavy processing and chemical handling sit close to neighborhood streets and major routes. Asphalt is dense and difficult to move once it escapes containment, which can complicate rescue efforts within minutes. OSHA’s public accident and fatality databases include past tank ruptures and hot-asphalt incidents, and the agency says workplace deaths and catastrophes can trigger fatality investigations and inspections, adding another layer of scrutiny to a case already marked by a severe spill, a fatality, and a difficult recovery in South Houston.