Travis Scott should have stopped the fatal Astroworld show as soon as he noticed the crowd was in danger, the Houston Fire Chief says.

“The artist has command of that crowd,” Chief Samuel Pena told The Today Show.

“If he notices something going on, he can certainly pause that performance, turn on the lights and say, ‘Hey, we’re not going to continue until this thing is resolved,’” Mr Pena said.

Eight people died and hundreds were injured after a crowd surge at the Astroworld Festival in Houston’s NRG Park on Friday.

A mass casualty event was declared at 9:38pm, but Scott only stopped the show at 10:15pm.

“Everybody at that event has a responsibility, starting from the artist on down, security and everybody that’s there to provide safety,” Mr Pena said.