Viral Chaos Erupts in West Phoenix Neighborhood

Cleanup efforts are nearing completion following a mishap involving an asphalt company in a west Phoenix neighborhood. The incident occurred on Monday afternoon at 91st Avenue and Camelback Road.

“It was supposed to be a simple surface sealant to renew our streets,” a neighbor named Chris recounted. “But that turned into a nightmare.”

A viral video of the incident has garnered over two million views. It shows a crew applying sealant to a private street when a loud pop is heard, prompting one worker to rush towards the truck.

“The second it happens, he runs to the back of the truck. From what I could see, he took the sealant to his face before closing the valve,” Chris stated, praising the worker’s quick reaction to mitigate further damage.

While at home, Chris heard the loud noise and quickly went outside, only to witness a geyser of sealant erupting. “The entire street was covered in this PMM sealant—a tar-like substance for resurfacing. The hose on the truck burst and shot sealant 30 feet into the air,” he described.

This sudden mishap spread the sticky material onto two nearby properties. “There were two white cars and landscaping covered with sealant. You feel sorry for the owners but also empathize with the workers. Accidents happen,” Chris reflected.

The project aimed for a straightforward street upgrade. Markham Construction, which hired Cactus Asphalt, confirmed that equipment failure led to the incident. They commended the crew’s swift response to reduce damage. Since the incident, all affected cars have been cleaned, landscaping replaced, sidewalks washed, and painting is underway on the impacted homes.

“You think of tar, and I didn’t expect it to come off easily. Surprisingly, it did for the most part. Everyone was understanding. There was no one to blame,” Chris noted.

Despite the chaos, the situation could have escalated further without the crew’s quick thinking. “From what I can tell, they did the best job possible to rectify the situation,” Chris concluded.

12News has sought a comment from Cactus Asphalt but has yet to receive a response.