More than a dozen first responders rushed to the scene and were quarantined and disinfected.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — First responders responding to a suspected overdose call in a rural New Mexico county fell ill after fentanyl and methamphetamine were found in a home, authorities said Friday.
Three people found dead inside home Wednesday. As of Friday, a fourth person inside the home and an emergency responder who fell ill remained hospitalized.
One doctor who saw responders displaying symptoms such as nausea and dizziness said their symptoms were most similar to fentanyl exposure. However, the investigation into how and why the exposure occurred is still ongoing.
Steve McLaughlin, chief medical officer at the University of New Mexico Hospital, told a news conference in Albuquerque that authorities “presumed” fentanyl was the culprit. Symptoms among responders ranged from mild to somewhat severe, he said.
“It may not be absorbed through your skin, but it may be absorbed through your eyes, nose, mucous membranes or by inhalation,” McLaughlin told The Associated Press.
Meth is known to be toxic on contact, while fentanyl is less toxic. Authorities noted at a news conference Friday that sick paramedics treated the person who was found inside the house in Mountain Aire, a rural town east of Albuquerque.
More than a dozen first responders rushed to the scene and were quarantined and disinfected.
One of the two people who remained hospitalized Friday was found unresponsive in the home where three people died. Authorities went to the home Wednesday morning after receiving a call about a suspected drug overdose. Authorities said a co-worker of one of the employees called them to their home because they failed to show up for work.
New Mexico State Police Chief Matt Blum said investigators found no immediate evidence of drug manufacturing in the house.
State police earlier said there was no threat to the public and investigators did not believe the mystery substance was airborne.
Brown reported from Billings, Montana.
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