Oil seeps through asphalt of Montebello street

Oil seeped through the asphalt in an industrial area of Montebello Thursday morning, prompting some road closures.

Sky 2 spotted the large puddle of oil on Montebello Boulevard, between the railroad tracks and Olympic Boulevard. at about 8:15 a.m. Montebello city officials say the seepage was first detected when a motorist passing through the area at about 4 a.m. reported an "unknown substance" on the surface of the street to the Montebello Fire Department.

Public Works crews had the approximately 20-foot-wide spill contained and nearly all the liquid on the street surface removed by 9 a.m., but clean up and containment is ongoing. City officials said the liquid had the strong odor of petroleum, but its exact makeup has yet to be determined.

"At this time we do not know or understand the exact source of this petroleum product and we are actively investigating," City Manager Renée Bobadilla said in a statement. 

The street was blocked off to traffic for several hours, but one lane in each direction of Montebello Boulevard was reopened by Thursday afternoon.

City officials say they are working to determine the source of the leak and responsible party.

"Once this is accomplished any and all liability issues will be established and any further threat to public health via site contamination will be determined. At this time, it's too early to know all the specific or potential impacts," Bobadilla said.