DIETRICH, Idaho - One person died and several others were hospitalized in a hazmat situation in Dietrich on Thursday.
The Twin Falls County Sheriff's Office said Lincoln County sheriff's deputies and Shoshone police officers responded at around 10:15 a.m. to a report of an unresponsive male at 288 South 950 East.
They arrived to find a man dead and also found a canister containing a then-unidentified gas in the home.
Deputies now know the gas was nitrous oxide and say the deceased man used it to take his own life.
Eight people, including first responders, were taken to area hospitals for potential hazmat exposure.
Five patients went to St. Luke's Magic Valley for decontamination and treatment, and North Canyon Medical Center received three patients.
All eight had been released from the hospital by Friday morning, Dietrich Mayor Don Heiken said.
North Canyon was on lockdown according to their hazmat protocol, and no new patients were being accepted.
Officials said the Boise Fire Special Operations Hazmat Team was on scene to assist in the decontamination and identification process. Lincoln County deputies, Shoshone police, the Shoshone Fire Department and Lincoln County Disaster Service Manager Payson Reese were also on scene.
They say it's an isolated incident and no other hazards were found.
Mayor Heiken says the deceased man worked for the city until he was fired earlier this month. The man was in charge of Dietrich’s water and sewer operations.
As a precaution, the DEQ is testing the water supply, and results are expected in 24 to 48 hours. The mayor is encouraging residents not to drink the water, and the city is working to get potable water to the Dietrich Fire Station.