Suspected suicide leads to hazmat scare

(NECN: Justin Michaels, Boston) - A dozen Boston residents have returned to their apartment building, after a deadly hazmat incident.

Fire officials believe a woman in the Massachusetts Avenue building committed suicide by ingesting a toxic chemical.

Boston Fire was called to the four-story brownstone just after 11 p.m. on Monday night.

Earlier in the evening, Boston Police and Boston EMS responded to the same address for a possible overdose. A woman was then transported to Boston Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

Crews later determined that the woman had ingested sodium azide, which, when metabolized in the human body, turns into a type of cyanide.

Hazmat crews assessed the situation, including testing the air quality for residents who live inside the building.

Four police officer and one EMS crew had to be quarantined to determine whether they ingested the chemical. It does not appear that anyone was harmed.

Residents were allowed back inside the building shortly before 2 a.m. on Tuesday.