Special to the Herald

Update from Effingham County Fire/Resue on May 13 at 10:57 a.m.: The name of the deceased is Lawrence Wyatt, 54, from the Charleston, South Carolina area. The cause of death is still under investigation by the GBI.

Effingham County Fire released this update 3 p.m. May 10:

The facility has been cleared and released to Americold.

The deceased employee has been taken to the GBI office for an autopsy. It is not known if his death was related to the chemical, or if he suffered a medical emergency prior to the release. 

The chemical encountered on site is a pesticide used to treat fruits and vegetables. We utilized the facility air scrubbers to remove the chemical and ensure nothing was released into the environment.

Original story:

Effingham County Fire Rescue responded this morning, May 10, at 8:21 a.m. for an injured/unresponsive employee inside the Americold facility on Old River Road in Meldrim.

Units secured the building and found the employee, a technician from Ecolab, deceased.

Crews will remain on scene until the building can be released back to employees. 

There is no threat to people or property local to the facility. 

The name of the employee is being withheld for the investigation and notification of family.

This is a developing story.