Austin, Texas – The incident reported on Wednesday afternoon in Texas was first responded by Austin firefighters who were able to evacuate the apartment complex. After reports from the University of Texas at Austin claiming there was a chemical leakage at West Campus apartment complex, the authorities evacuated the building yet there was one casualty.
However, a man presumed to have tried to commit suicide was found having a cardiac arrest, said the Austin Fire Department. Although crewmembers tried to help the man – a student from the University of Texas at Austin – yet he was pronounced dead in the scene.
According to Austin Fire Department Lieutenant Kevin Haas, the student found in cardiac arrest was the only casualty of the gas leakage, although several people had to be taken to the hospital. Following the leaking of hydrogen sulfide gas, a favorite for people who want to commit suicide, about 11 people resulted injured from the incident happen on campus.
Authorities are still wondering where the gas came from, yet it is thought that the man who died could have released the chemicals from a container into his apartment. The apartment where it all started supposedly, is located at the corner of West 21st Street and Pearl Street, said the officials involved in the investigation.
Palmer Buck, the Austin Fire Department’s Division Chief said that crews couldn’t get people out of the building faster, as they were going door-to-door to clear the apartment complex. Buck also added that further attempts to revive the man who was experiencing cardiac arrest were futile as authorities got there too late to save him. Officials said that at least six people had to be hospitalized following the incident, as they were overwhelmed with the sulfide fumes.
Dead toll didn’t increase thanks to the Austin Fire Department
However lucky these students can be, their recovery is only a matter of time as no severe conditions were diagnosed. Several other students were effectively treated at the scene of the chemical leaking after authorities cleared the apartment complex from further threat to students.
While the pertinent authorities proceeded to decontaminate the West Campus apartment complex in the University of Texas at Austin, the rest of the residents were quickly evacuated. Still, the Austin Fire Department is conducting further investigations in order to determine how this incident could’ve happened.
Palmer Buck released a statement claiming that the person who died was a student at the University as the man pronounced dead at the scene was in his 20s. The 21 Pearl’s management also released a statement expressing their concern on the matter. “The safety and well being of our residents and staff is our first priority, and we will be cooperating with the authorities to resolve this situation as quickly as possible,” said 21 Pearl’s management when interviewed on Wednesday.
Source: Business Insider