FARIBAULT Minn. – A man was found overcome by sewer gas inside a maintenance shaft and died after being airlifted to a hospital. Faribault Fire Department rescuers found the man unresponsive. Fire Chief Dustin Dienst said the underground chamber had extremely high levels of hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide and low levels of oxygen. Rescuers placed oxygen on the man before pulling him up. This was about 7:30 a.m. in the 1900 block of Second Avenue Northwest. Without explanation the fire chief declined to release the victim’s name. Dienst said he didn’t know why the man was inside the line or how he got there. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration was notified. Dienst wouldn’t comment on whether the man was a municipal employee.
