By Ishani Desai
The Sacramento Bee
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A man died Monday at a hospital after he fainted inside an underground Costco gas tank near Cal Expo in Sacramento and had to be rescued by firefighters.
The Sacramento Fire Department was called about 10:45 a.m. Monday to the Costco at 1600 Exposition Parkway for a special rescue, requiring the response of teams specialized in both hazmat response and recovering a victim, said Capt. Justin Sylvia, a spokesperson for the department.
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The man, who worked for a third-party company, dropped into an underground fuel tank to clean it before it was refilled with gasoline, Sylvia said. Although the tank was empty, his colleagues watched him pass out from the fumes, he said.
Firefighters hoisted the man from the tank and hosed him down before taking him to a hospital, he said. The firefighters, rendering medical aid, rinsed the worker because they did not want to pass out from the fumes while in a confined ambulance, Sylvia said.
The man, who has not been identified, died at the hospital, Sylvia said. The investigation has not determined if he suffered a medical emergency prior to descending into the tank, or if he died from the fumes.
The Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal-OSHA, also responded to the scene.
A Costco spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.
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