The Seattle Fire Department was on the scene of a hazardous material call near the intersection of East Broadway and James Street in Seattle on Saturday.
The call to Seattle Fire came in around 8 p.m. after a person reported that a sign on the door said there was a dangerous chemical inside triggering the hazmat response.
Entry was delayed into the building until the hazmat team arrived.
Seattle Fire said they could not confirm the presence of a chemical but treat it as if there was until it could be verified.
“It’s just out of an abundance of caution and it’s the best practice here is to be extremely cautious and treat it as if it’s 100% true and then hopefully it’s less than that and we can back it down,” Deputy Chief Ed Nelson of the Seattle Fire Department said. “But if we don’t somebody can get hurt. We don’t want that.”
Seattle Police closed streets around the building for safety.
Seattle Fire said a deceased person was found in the apartment building and turned over the scene to the Seattle Police Department.
Crews monitored the air quality and said it was safe for residents to return.
Seattle PD is investigating.