Worker dies after passing out in underground gas tank at Sacramento Costco

A worker for a contract company died Monday after passing out inside an underground gasoline storage tank while cleaning it at a Costco in Sacramento, California, officials said.

The worker, who has not been publicly identified, was recovered from the tank Monday morning and taken to a hospital, where he later died, authorities said. He was employed by Ponder Environmental Services, a company that cleans gas and oil tanks.

A co-worker told responders the man entered the chamber to empty it and slid down the last portion of the ladder before losing consciousness amid heavy fumes, Fox40 reported. Firefighters established a tripod-and-rope rig to extricate him. Paramedics administered CPR in an ambulance, but the worker was pronounced dead at the hospital, officials said.

Fire Department personnel also required supplemental air while working at the scene because of low oxygen conditions inside the tank, Sacramento Fire Department officials said. The department said the fuel tank is not a threat to the public and that air-quality monitoring was underway to check for any toxic conditions.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials were on site to investigate the incident, and local authorities said it was not yet known whether the worker lost consciousness because of fumes from the tank or because of a separate medical emergency. Representatives for Ponder Environmental Services declined to comment to media outlets, according to local reports.

The death comes amid heightened attention to workplace safety after several high-profile on-the-job fatalities this year. In June, a worker died while inside an industrial oven at the Gilster Marylee cereal plant in Perryville, Missouri. Police identified that worker as 38-year-old Nicolas Lopez Gomez, a Guatemalan national who worked under the name Edward Avila; authorities said he died while cleaning the oven and did not suspect foul play.

Sacramento officials said the investigation into the Costco tank death remains active. Federal and local agencies are continuing to examine the scene, interview witnesses and review safety procedures to determine the sequence of events and whether any regulations were violated.