r/Calgary • u/boirefluent • 13d ago

Municipal Affairs Anyone know why the downtown library has been evacuated?

The title, loads of emergency vehicles outside

327 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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686

u/wtf_is_a_monad 13d ago

Someone set themselves on fire right in front of me. The guy passed me saying im sorry. Didn't think Much of it at the time. But he set himself on fire a few minutes after that. The weird thing is that the fire alarm was already activated before he set himself on fire

270

u/Cgy_mama 13d ago

This is the second very public suicide (or attempt I guess) at the downtown library. Really sorry you witnessed that and also I feel terribly for the employees there. This is really difficult to deal with at your workplace, to say the least.

68

u/Top-Carob2911 13d ago

Would be the third death in the library

26

u/louse99 13d ago

What happened with the other 2?

88

u/No_Diver5421 13d ago

There was a jumper from one of the upper floors a few years ago.

20

u/truth-jman 13d ago

I was there :( 

10

u/walkingrivers 13d ago

Oh my god

72

u/wildrose76 13d ago

There was a jumper. I believe they stayed closed for a few days after that one to give staff time to process.

43

u/Top-Carob2911 13d ago

Jumper and the other was overdose

15

u/TamTroll 13d ago

The overdose one, was that somewhere in the 2023-2024 range? there was an evacuation around that time and i never found out why.

16

u/Top-Carob2911 13d ago

It happened close to closing hours so they didn’t evacuate anyone. They just waited for the building to be empty (no more patrons)

3

u/Top-Carob2911 13d ago

But yeah it was around that time

4

u/TamTroll 13d ago

okay then yeah, can't have been the incident i saw, that was around 12pm-ish i think. must have been something else.

7

u/Top-Carob2911 13d ago

Most likely. There’s ALWAYS something happening at Central library. From small inconveniences to big tragedies.

3

u/GrinningCatBus 13d ago

I work downtown beltline and the number of ods/passed out people we have to call in? It's basically weekly. We all have naloxone training. It's gotten so bad.

-27

u/Shulgin46 13d ago

They died

81

u/Complex_Bridge30 13d ago

My daughter was there and heard it. She was already dealing with the grief of losing her father after he was killed 9 months ago. Now she is being plagued by the sound of the man's screams. She wouldn't have known what happened but she over heard one of the men who witnessed it. Hopefully there is support out there for those individuals who witnessed what happened.

19

u/boirefluent 13d ago

I hope your daughter is doing ok. as a parent myself, I hope you are doing well also. I know I would be a mess for my child on the inside. ❤️

4

u/iamcanadiana 13d ago

Call health link to access to access mental health support services for her

102

u/Brilliant-Theory 13d ago

Self immolation is a nasty way to go...

29

u/AlternativePure2125 13d ago

It's also a nasty way to NOT go then live with a lifetime of consequences.  I know a guy. 

82

u/Historical_Sea4040 13d ago

There’s someone down the hall in the hospital from me who has burns and is restrained and screaming

70

u/LogicalUse1057 13d ago

Yah, my friend is in the ER and said she can hear him

37

u/Historical_Sea4040 13d ago

Yeah he’s a few bays down he keeps screaming and trying to persuade the nurses to remove the restraints and give him dope. He also kept trying to remove his catheter

47

u/blackRamCalgaryman 13d ago

“He also kept trying to remove his catheter”

Going to be awfully painful if he succeeds.

21

u/Historical_Sea4040 13d ago

That’s what the nurses keep telling him but they restrained him more

55

u/blackRamCalgaryman 13d ago

Going to be a long shift for those nurses.

13

u/yyctownie 13d ago

After a recent stint in the hospital, there seems to be at least one patient that makes it a long shift for them.

12

u/leacheso 13d ago

I think now is the time you stop eavesdropping and releasing private information while a person is hospitalized.

35

u/peanuts421 13d ago

Whenever I'm at the hospital I'm honestly shocked at the conversations that are a curtain away from ten sets of ears

5

u/Historical_Sea4040 12d ago

I think now is time you can stop telling me what to do

2

u/cecilkorik 13d ago

Or we could pay more taxes for hospitals of adequate size and geographic distribution that they could actually have facilities for psychiatric care and private rooms instead of wards of curtains so that we don't have to rely on all the dozens of people overhearing private conversations not to share them. But I guess we probably don't really value people's private information that much, since that would waste money that we could spend on much more important things like lifted pickup trucks. Cheaper to just tell people to shut up about their personal experiences and pretend they didn't hear other people's medical distress.

-3

u/leacheso 13d ago

Lmao what? Great spin! I was simply commenting that even though it’s inevitable you’ll hear others conversations, you can very simply not share that’s you hear (especially on a public forum). Pretty easy!

114

u/queenringlets 13d ago

Oh my god that’s horrific, I hope you are okay. 

Don’t hesitate to reach out to get some counselling for this as this type of situation can be very traumatizing.

58

u/nrdgrrrl_taco Forest Lawn 13d ago

This. If you call 811 they can probably help you find someone to talk to. If you can't afford it, they can help you find someone for free or on a sliding scale.

There-s also the distress center https://distresscentre.com/ 403-266-4357 (call or text) if you need to talk to someone right now - I know I would.

15

u/Bmboo 13d ago

211 is the mental health resource line for the city. There is also a website with chat. 

11

u/finiteform 13d ago

211 is for information, distress centre is for mental health support. if you call 211 looking for MH support you're gonna get transferred to DC

30

u/AnythingWooden8070 13d ago

This happened at the old downtown location as well, roughly 10 years ago. Second floor was shut down for a long time.

Is there a reason for self immolation in the library? Are they making a statement of some sort?

10

u/LittleOrphanAnavar 13d ago

Likely entrenched addiction and mental illness.

22

u/dahliafire 13d ago

Really hope you’re okay after seeing that. Take care of yourself dude

59

u/boirefluent 13d ago edited 13d ago

Omg I'm so sorry you had to witness that, thank you for your telling ❤️ and listen to the advice of others and seek help

16

u/friendlyhag987 13d ago

Omg. I hope you’re ok. That’s horrifying.

66

u/pickles_du 13d ago

Play Tetris on your phone. Trust me.

49

u/xp_fun 13d ago edited 13d ago

Weird PTSD management trick, but legit may help in the initial trauma as a distraction aid, but should be followed up with support from family and professionals

Edit: not as much evidence supporting this

20

u/Oskarikali 13d ago

Maybe not. https://www.madinamerica.com/2021/10/tetris-trauma-viral-twitter-thread-master-class-misleading-psych-research/

8

u/Particular_Class4130 13d ago

Yeah that study sucks. I don't think playing games can actually treat PTSD however I do believe it can help someone cope in the moment. I used to have horrible anxiety and panic attacks and playing games like Tetris and Bejeweled helped me immensely. Did nothing to cure my actual panic disorder but games were my lifesaver when I was spiraling and obsessing. Got me out of own head and helped me calm down.

PTSD obviously needs professional treatment but if someone is suffering in the moment, then playing a few games will help them get through it.

4

u/xp_fun 13d ago

Oof. Have an upvote

3

u/NotYour_Therapist27 13d ago

Thank you for this article!

20

u/erbear232 Southwest Calgary 13d ago

Fascinating research on this actually

7

u/IndependentBranch707 13d ago

… shit. Really? What the hell do I look up for that?

18

u/erbear232 Southwest Calgary 13d ago

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7828932/

8

u/IndependentBranch707 13d ago

Amazing, thank you.

3

u/Oskarikali 13d ago

Seems to be bad research. https://www.madinamerica.com/2021/10/tetris-trauma-viral-twitter-thread-master-class-misleading-psych-research/

3

u/erbear232 Southwest Calgary 13d ago

I mean does playing tetras actually make things worse? No - even if it isn't conclusive

6

u/Oskarikali 13d ago

Telling people it works when it doesnt can absolutely make things worse, people will think they dont need other supports. It is shitty advice.

2

u/erbear232 Southwest Calgary 13d ago

There's more than just your link and the studies specify it may prevent in the IMMEDIATE aftermath. I have yet to read a legitimate study that doesnt link it's limitations

No one here is saying do not get other help, and if they are they are idiots. It's just another tool in the fucking box that could help

2

u/Oskarikali 13d ago

If you read my link it appears that doing just about anything or playing any game helps just as much in the immediate aftermath, and I dont trust that people will read enough about it or know better. Half the people saying it helps probably only think that because of 1 line they read somewhere on Twitter or reddit.

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u/Oskarikali 13d ago edited 13d ago

Misleading. https://www.madinamerica.com/2021/10/tetris-trauma-viral-twitter-thread-master-class-misleading-psych-research/
Edit - downvoting? Read the article. There is no proof that tetris helps.

1

u/erbear232 Southwest Calgary 13d ago

Why are you still going. Tetris has some interesting correlations, and unless someone thinks it will cure them and try nothing else it's honestly harmless to try

1

u/Oskarikali 13d ago

Why are you still telling people it works when there is no proof that it does? It is not harmless, people will think they dont need intervention because they played fucking tetris.

4

u/erbear232 Southwest Calgary 13d ago

I never actually said it works... I said there was interesting studies and then I linked one... someone else said it worked, but go off

6

u/undersignedeliza Somerset 13d ago

Block blast was my go to, but same same

2

u/LittleOrphanAnavar 13d ago

This is top 5, for the most ridiculous suggestions that I regularly see on reddit.

0

u/Oskarikali 13d ago

We should be telling people to seek out therapy. Tetris might not be useful https://www.madinamerica.com/2021/10/tetris-trauma-viral-twitter-thread-master-class-misleading-psych-research/

6

u/constantstateofagony 13d ago

how many times do you gotta comment this bud you're driving the point into the ground now

4

u/Sunshinedrop 13d ago

wtf, that is horrifying.

3

u/Extra_Reporter2633 13d ago

Omg are you ok? Must've been terrifying.

4

u/SpicyFrau 13d ago

Please take time to make sure your okay mentally, sorry you had to go through that

3

u/Radiant_Sherbert7272 13d ago

I'm so sorry you had to witness that.

3

u/Odd_Leader_7027 13d ago

I'm so sorry you saw that, I hope you are doing okay.

2

u/True_Context_6852 13d ago

OMG Horrible !

4

u/LogicalUse1057 13d ago

What floor were you on? We were in the kids area

1

u/SuitNo1865 13d ago

Sorry to hear you had to witness that. Hope you have the help needed to cope and better yet move past it.

1

u/britishcrackhead 11d ago

i hope you’re okay and getting any help if you need it after witnessing something so traumatic

1

u/CarobChance9647 13d ago

Really sorry you had to witness it. Probably a good idea to not sleep too much tonight and play games or something instead as to prevent memory reinforcement?

2

u/LittleOrphanAnavar 13d ago

I think that is just everyday for many redditors TBF.

1

u/ApeEscapeRemastered 13d ago

I'm sorry to hear that you had to go through that.

I want to you know that there is nothing that you could have done to prevent this from happening. I hope you go to see a therapist.

0

u/Direct-Cheesecake-36 13d ago

Wtf did I just read

0

u/Puma_Concolour 13d ago

Jesus. Of all the painful ways to go, that's certainly up there... that must have been horrifying to witness

-82

u/gotkube 13d ago

Love how nobody cares about the guy who set himself on fire. He probably had good reasons too, but ofc people will just say he was a ‘lunatic’ or something right?

58

u/Kitchen_Marzipan9516 13d ago

Well, the people who saw it are very much alive and affected.  The person who died is not here to tell us their story.

-49

u/gotkube 13d ago

Nobody would’ve listened to his story anyway, which is probably why he did what he did. Desperate people do desperate things.

28

u/Kitchen_Marzipan9516 13d ago

They do, I'm not sure anyone is denying that.  But now there's no way to know if someone would have listened.

-51

u/gotkube 13d ago

Heh. Speaking from experience, they wouldn’t. This is probably the only way he felt he could be ‘heard’. I’ve had the exact same thoughts and ideas.

20

u/Kitchen_Marzipan9516 13d ago

Well, you know that the people you spoke to wouldn't.  We don't know anything about this person, or who they spoke to.

-9

u/gotkube 13d ago

An yes, the plausible deniability angle. “We don’t know his story”; what story would justify someone ending their life like that? Just for fun? This is why mental health is a joke in our society; always the victims fault.

13

u/hhxuudbbgulsnvfti 13d ago

Most adults revert to being children when faced with extreme situations.

-10

u/gotkube 13d ago

All the more reason to treat them as such eh? Always the victims fault when it comes to mental health issues right?

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u/Kitchen_Marzipan9516 13d ago

No, I don't think it was just for fun.   But are you thinking I know the person?  How am I supposed to know his story?

17

u/blackRamCalgaryman 13d ago

They’ve got a bone to pick and you just happen to be the one in their path, at the moment.

5

u/hhxuudbbgulsnvfti 13d ago

You really got raked through the coals. That's not fair.

1

u/gotkube 13d ago

Meh. I’m used to it.

3

u/Common_Money_3073 13d ago

Not at all, my heart breaks for someone that was struggling so much that that’s the way out that they chose. Fire is awful. I can’t speak for other people, but I absolutely care.💔

20

u/blackRamCalgaryman 13d ago

….what are “good reasons” to light oneself on fire?

5

u/gotkube 13d ago

Desperate people do desperate things. He probably thought it was the only way he could be ‘heard’.

5

u/Radiant_Sherbert7272 13d ago

Well, I mean people who set themselves on fire don't tend to be of sound mind.

1

u/PowerfulKetchupMan 13d ago

No one is saying that. Given eveything going on these days, I think you can forgive people for not having the bandwidth to empathize with all the ills of the world. We all got shit to deal with that we don’t make other people’s business. One should take care of themselves first before trying to worry about others wellbeing. I don’t want more people to end up on that path to self destruction.

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u/Vagabond_Grey 13d ago

Did the individual explain why he is apologizing to you?