Suicide Attempt Leads to Hazardous Material Incident

Tour Commander, 509.625.7100

Thursday, January 16, 2020 at 12:05 p.m.

At approximately 7:45 pm last night, Spokane Fire Department (SFD) responded to the 600 East Block of Magnesium Road to a report of a male patient experiencing a psychological issue. When the SFD paramedic company arrived, they discovered a male patient experiencing severe respiratory symptoms that were due to a suicide attempt by mixing chemicals that created a life-threatening vapor. Recognizing the criticality of the situation, the incident commander requested a response by the SFD Hazardous Materials (HazMat) Team and took quick measures to protect the public.

The HazMat Team entered the residence and discovered that a moderate amount of chemicals were mixed, including household bleach and ammonia, to create chlorine gas. The HazMat team contained the chemical mixture and took measures to make it safe. The incident was safely brought under control within 30-minutes of the HazMat arriving on the scene. 

The victim was rescued and transported to the hospital due to the treatment of inhalation of the dangerous chlorine gas.  Due to the personal nature of this incident, there will be no further information related to this incident disseminated by the SFD.