The manner and cause of death of the man will be determined by the Travis County medical examiner’s office.
Advertisement
Efforts to resuscitate the man were unsuccessful, and the man was pronounced dead at the scene. Three others were treated at the scene, Austin Fire Division Chief Palmer Buck said. The property manager was taken to the hospital along with five other patients.
AFD and EMS initially responded to 21 Pearl for a cardiac arrest call.
As media have been reporting, the Austin Fire Department responded to an emergency call this afternoon at an off-campus housing facility, 21 Pearl, and evacuated the facility due to exposure to risky gas. However, people sometimes use hydrogen sulfide to commit suicide.
A “warning sign” was posted outside the victims’ apartment, Buck said. As of Wednesday evening the building was being ventilated.
At 4:30 p.m., Pearl Street remained closed from 21st to 23rd streets, officials said. “This is not an uncommon method of chemical suicide”, Buck said.
Our onsite management team quickly investigated and found the source of the odor.
Advertisement
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.
