Residents told not to drink water after man found dead in south Idaho town
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DIETRICH — Residents and visitors of Dietrich have been advised not to drink the water after a man was found dead in his home and emergency responders were hospitalized.
Dietrich Mayor Don Heiken tells EastIdahoNews.com the water advisory was issued by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality as a precaution following an unusual sequence of events Thursday.
The Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office was called to a Dietrich home around 10:15 a.m. for a report of an unresponsive man. Tom Young, 62, was found dead and Heiken told the Associated Press he had fired Young earlier this month.
A canister of nitrogen was found next to Young’s body, Lincoln County emergency manager Payson Reese said in a news release. Seven first responders and one civilian were taken to the hospital after being exposed to the substance. It is unclear what what caused Young’s death or sickened the responders.
“There’s a concern he (Young) may have contaminated the drinking the water so people of Dietrich are asked not to drink the water,” Heiken says. “It will probably take 24 to 48 hours for the results to come back.”
Heiken says a local church and some citizens have brought in a large tank to provide drinking water for the community of 300. He’s hoping things are back to normal by Memorial Day.
“As far as I can tell, the water is not tampered with. This is just a safety precaution,” Heiken says.
The hospitalized first responders were released from the hospital Thursday evening.
“All eight of us have been released from the hospital and were home recovering,” a Facebook post from Lincoln County Sheriff Rene Rodriguez reads. “We all appreciate the love and support.