One Worker Dead, Two in Grave Condition from Ethanol Fumes at Atwater Pharmaceutical Company

A worker died this morning after trying to help two unconscious colleagues who were knocked out by ethanol fumes while cleaning blood plasma from a container at Baxter Healthcare, an Atwater pharmaceutical company, according to LA Now.

The two colleagues he tried to help are in grave condition at the hospital.

Firefighters and paramedics arrived on the scene at 4 a.m. and found all three workers collapsed. They immediately recognized the dangerous fumes, put on protective gear, and rushed in to remove the unconscious men from the container.

LAPD Fire Chief James Moore said the detergent they used to clean the blood plasma contained the ethanol fumes. The worker who died "called 911 and went in to help his unconscious colleagues from the container, but was himself overcome by the fumes."