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Austin
firefighters responded to a hazardous materials call from an
apartment at the complex and found a man believed to be in his
20s dead at the scene, said Austin Fire Department Lieutenant
Kevin Haas.
Haas said the initial investigation determined that the release
of the chemical was deemed "an intentional act," and was being
investigated as a suicide.
It was unclear where the gas came from, although Haas said the
victim likely released it from a container brought into the
apartment.
Hydrogen sulfide is a colorless gas that smells of rotten eggs.
Six people were taken with non-life-threatening injuries to a
hospital, and five others refused care, Austin-Travis County
Emergency Medical Services spokesman Captain Darren Noak said.
The Austin Fire Department responded around 2:30 p.m. to a call
reporting a cardiac arrest. Fire department personnel found a
handwritten note on a closet door inside the apartment where the
deceased victim was found that warned of danger, and to "get
out," and of the presence of hydrogen sulfide, Haas said.
The emergency responders decontaminated the building and
evacuated residents. Photos on social media showed emergency
workers and vehicles including a fire truck on a street that had
been blocked off from traffic.
Noak said residents were later cleared to return to the
building.
It was unclear whether the man who died or the people injured
were students, a University of Texas at Austin spokeswoman said.
(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz in Austin, Texas; Additional
reporting by Eric Beech in Washington and Eric M. Johnson in
Seattle; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Peter Cooney)
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