A hazardous materials crew found no signs of dangerous chemicals after a young man was found dead inside a Pasadena apartment Monday afternoon, along with an unusual cylinder that raised the suspicions of first responders, authorities said.
But the man’s cause of death remained unclear.
A 911 caller reported discovering the body shortly before 1 p.m. in an apartment along Chester Avenue, just south of Green Street, according to Pasadena police and fire officials.
Officials noted no obvious signs of trauma, police Lt. Jason Clawson said. Foul play was not suspected.
But as officials were conducting their investigation, they noticed something that drew their concern, Deputy Fire Chief Jon Trautwein said.
“They found a cylinder that appeared suspicious,” he said.
Officials cleared out and summoned a fire department hazardous materials crew to investigate.
Trautwein said they ultimately did not detect anything that posed a threat. It was sent to a lab for further analysis.
It did not appear the cylinder was related to the death, the deputy chief said. “We don’t see a connection.”
Officials evacuated about 15 people from nearby apartments, he said. They were allowed to return shortly before 8 p.m.
The investigation now hinges on the findings of coroner’s investigators.