Dead fish, a foul odor and odd-colored water are coming from a canal in Harlingen.

A cleanup crew from the state is in the area to gather the dead wildlife, and to monitor the impact.

According to the Harlingen Fire Department, the issue is the aftermath of a fire that occurred on Aug. 9 at the Valley Co-op Oil Mill cotton gin on Wilson Road near Highway 77. The runoff water from that fire went into the drainage system and caused the pollution.

The water from the canal is a red-brown color, and smells of dead fish mixed with sewage. That’s why people who live along the canal — which is about six miles long and goes into Rio Hondo — want something done fast. 

“The smell, it’s just worse if you just come outside,” Harlingen resident Liana Reyes said, adding that she's worried about the potential effects on her health. 

“I hope they do something about it, it's not good. We have kids that live here, we have a lot of families,” Reyes said.

Channel 5 News cameras were rolling on Thursday as workers with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality scooped up the dead fish as part of they said would be a multi-day cleanup effort.

Four chemical response crews with TCEQ arrived on Wednesday to start cleanup efforts. The TCEQ said they believe it could take up to two weeks to clean the canal, but their efforts will take longer if it rains on Friday. 

Channel 5 News reached out to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for comment. The Department said they are the sate-on-scene coordinator for the incident, and are working with contractors on operations to "remediate" the discharge. 

“TPWD Kills and Spills Team personnel will be conducting a site visit to determine the impacts on fish and wildlife,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

Watch the video above for the full story.