A suspected gas leak has left one person dead and six others in hospital, including five police officers who responded to an emergency call from a restaurant.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Emergency services were called to to Haveli Indian Restaurant on Garfield Street in Riverstone, in Sydney's north west suburbs, at 9.15am on September 16.
A 25-year-old man was found non-responsive inside the building and was unable to be revived, Fire and Rescue NSW said.
Fire and Rescue NSW Assistant Commissioner Gavin Wood said early indications suggested that the victim "may well have been employed within that restaurant environment".
"The owner and the owner's son located the 25-year-old male and rang police. They subsequently attempted CPR themselves," Assistant Commissioner Wood said.
"Police have responded and commenced the CPR process. Now, during that CPR process, they again became exposed in some respects to the odour of the environment that was in the restaurant."
Assistant Commissioner Wood praised the officers for their "extremely brave" actions.
Air quality compromised
Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Adam Dewberry said it was "obvious to the first arriving emergency services that the air quality in the building was compromised".
"A lot of the oxygen has been pushed out, and at this stage, carbon monoxide is a strong line of interest, but we're also looking for other gases that could be in and around," he said.
"Hazardous materials experts are using all the equipment they have on the truck to go through and take those samples and interrogate the air that they have collected to work out what we're dealing with here.
"All we know is that the air quality in the whole building, two levels, has been compromised."
One person dead, six recovering
Investigators have confirmed that one person has died and six others are recovering from a suspected gas poisoning in the hospital.
"One person is confirmed deceased. One member of the public and five police officers have been conveyed to Blacktown Hospital in a stable condition," police said.
Superintendent Dewberry said firefighters were working to identify the nature of the gas leak to aid medical staff in treating the six hospitalised people.
"The information that we can get can also help the hospital treat all the people that have been transported," Superintendent Dewberry said.
"But more importantly, we need to isolate this area so we can render the site safe and then those investigations can commence by NSW Police," he said.
An investigation into the suspected gas leak is continuing, and police said that no further information was available.
Local member: 'deeply saddened'
Riverstone MP Warren Kirby said he was deeply saddened to learn of the tragic death and hospitalisations following the gas leak at a local restaurant.
"My thoughts are with the family of the person who has died and with everyone affected, including first responders and their loved ones," Mr Kirby said.
He said he had asked for updates from NSW Health and would keep his constituents updated.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au Information is managed on a confidential basis.
Anna Houlahan
Anna Houlahan reports on crime and social issues affecting regional and remote Australia in her role as national crime reporter at Australian Community Media (ACM). She was ACM’s Trainee of the Year in 2023 and, aside from reporting on crime, has travelled the country as a journalist for Explore Travel Magazine. Reach out with news or updates to anna.houlahan@austcommunitymedia.com.au
