The veterans housing enter at Robinson Creek in Pike County was evacuated Tuesday evening due to a chemical odor, and a man was found dead inside the facility, believed to have died of natural causes.
Pike County Emergency Management Director Doug Tackett tells Mountain Top News that the Veterans Transitional Housing Center located along Douglas Parkway near Shelby Valley High School was evacuated after a chemical smell was reported inside the building. Tackett says a man was found dead inside the facility, but he is believed to have died of natural causes.
Tackett says the chemical smell was likely due to cleaning products used in the facility. He said it is possible that chemicals were mixed “that shouldn’t have been,” resulting in the odor. Residents of the facility were allowed to return into building about a half an hour after they were evacuated, Tackett says.
Tackett says an autopsy will be performed on the person who died, but results from that autopsy could take weeks to be returned. The identity of the person who died was not immediately available.
The facility provides housing for homeless veterans for up to two years while they transition into permanent housing. It also provides medical care services through the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Huntington, West Virginia. The facility at Robinson Creek is operated by Mountain Comprehensive Care Corporation. The facility also has some bed space for homeless non-veterans.