PORTLAND, Conn. -- Department of Environmental workers were working to clean an oil spill in the Connecticut River Friday morning.

Officials said more than 1,000 gallons of heating oil had leaked from a Tri-Ram Ramp fuel terminal near the Arigoni Bridge on Brownstone Avenue.

"I would never think that one of my tanks would drop fuel into the river," said David Fletcher of Tri-Ram.

Fletcher said he has worked in the fuel industry for 30 years and then when he saw oil leaking from one of his above-ground tanks Thursday afternoon, he called the DEP.

Officials said the Tri-Ram fuel terminal where the spill occurred was understaffed because it is not an active terminal.

DEP officials classified the spill as "sizable," but said the fuel was contained to the surface of the river in the area of the terminal.

"We feel it's localized right now from what we can see," said Niel Torres of the DEP. "It's against a terminal wall and the spill is contained."

Officials said some of the oil did make its way to the banks of the river, where it was trapped in ice.

Members of the Connecticut Coast Guard were also helping to clean the spill. They said cleanup could take weeks and will cost Tri-Ram thousands of dollars. Tri-Ram hired a Bridgeport company to clean the spill.

"We are willing to do whatever it takes to clean up what's there," Fletcher said.