SAN ANTONIO – Authorities responded to a potentially dangerous chemical spill on the North side early Tuesday morning.
Hazmat was called to a home in 12800 block of Terrace Pass just after midnight where they found three pounds of mercury spilled onto the garage floor.
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The team was only able to handle a small part of the cleanup because of the large amount of mercury.
"The hazmat team made entry and attempted to clean it up, but it was just too much to clean up," Capt. Troy Teague, with the San Antonio Fire Department said.
Now the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will work with the home owner's insurance company to find a contractor to complete the clean up.
The hazmat team said mercury is very difficult to clean up because the small liquid particles can easily vaporize, and the chemical exposure could be dangerous.
The homeowner was taken into custody, but later released.
Authorities say the homeowner won't face charges, but he will likely face a big bill. The city of San Antonio can charge him for the time hazmat was at his home. For six vehicles, that will run around $18,000.
Authorities have still not said why the mercury was in the home.
Some neighbors are worried that the mercury spill is a hazard for them, and not too happy that they live nearby.
"I'm out running and I find out it's in my backyard practically, so yeah, I'm concerned. Health risks," Melissa Campbell said.
Other neighbors trusting authorities to handle the situation safely.
"I feel like we would have been evacuated, because you hear so many neighborhoods if something happens they do evacuate and we've heard nothing, so I feel like we're probably safe," Cathy Chesser said.