A student in his 20s committed suicide by inhaling so-called “sewer gas” in his apartment near the University of Texas at Austin Wednesday afternoon, officials said.
The entire 136-unit building had to be evacuated during the hazardous material investigation, Austin, Tex., emergency officials said.
An emergency crew who rushed to the 21 Pearl building on reports of a medical emergency found the student unconscious and a sign on his door reading, “Danger: Watch out, hydrogen sulfide,” officials with the Austin Fire Department told KXAN-TV. The as-yet-unidentified man had suffered cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Firefighters donned hazmat gear and evacuated the entire 136-unit building “to ensure the safety of all our residents,” Francoise Luca, a representative for the building’s management, said in an email. A building staff member and 10 other people sustained non-life threatening injuries from the gas, according to Austin-Travis County EMS.
“This is not an uncommon method of chemical suicide,” AFD Division Chief Palmer Buck said at a news conference. “You can search on the Internet to see some of the different ways this is done.”
Between 300 and 400 people live at the building, according to AFD. Investigators said it appeared the student took his own life by inhaling the toxic industrial gas, but medical examiners will rule on the official cause and manner of death.
"The concern with hydrogen sulfide is that it can be, at high enough levels, a lethal gas," Buck said. "We do feel pretty comfortable that is what this is. We have some final chemical analysis being done to verify that's what this is."
LIVE on #Periscope: AFD and ATCEMS press briefing on incident 911 W 21st https://t.co/aPmvCieAP5
— ATCEMS (@ATCEMS) April 13, 2016Officials in the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office didn't immediately return a call seeking comment Wednesday night. UT representatives said no information on the identity of the victim was immediately available.
"Most of the residents of 21 Pearl are UT Austin students," university officials said in a statement. "We are coordinating emergency housing for students displaced by this evacuation. Students evacuated because of this incident who need a place to stay tonight or who need other resources can call the Office of the Dean of Students at 512-471-5017 for help."
Luca said the man who had been living in the property seven blocks west of campus at W. 21st and Pearl streets was a student but it wasn’t possible to confirm he attended UT. The complex's property manager was hospitalized but was expected to be released later Wednesday.
Residents of the building reported a foul smell to management around 2 p.m., Luca said. Pearl 21 staff found the unconscious student and called the police and fire departments.
“Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the family and friends of the deceased,” Luca said. “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. We appreciate the patience of our residents during this process.”
Hydrogen sulfide is a "colorless, flammable, highly toxic gas" with a "characteristic rotten-egg odor," according to the Centers for Disease Control. Most people exposed to it have inhaled it and lungs absorb it easily.