Three people have died and more than a dozen first responders have been hospitalized following a possible hazmat situation in New Mexico.
At around 11:00 a.m., local time, Wednesday, New Mexico State Police rushed to a home in Mountainair for a “suspected overdose,” according to authorities.
Four people inside the home were found “unresponsive,” and three of them are now dead, the state police said in a Facebook post.
During the incident, 18 first responders were exposed to an “unidentified substance” and taken to the hospital along with the other person inside the home, authorities said.
The first responders experienced symptoms, including nausea and dizziness, after being exposed to the substance, according to state police. Two of them were in serious condition as of Wednesday afternoon.
At least one person inside the home was revived with Narcan, Torrance County Sheriff David Frazee said in an article published by the Santa Fe New Mexican.
Narcan is used to try to save people suspected of overdosing on an opioid.
“Evidently, they must have inhaled some toxins or something from the scene,” Frazee said of the first responders.
Mountainair Mayor Peter Nieto said the first responders had “direct contact with the individual who passed, and they were feeling lightheaded, headaches, nausea, things like that,” per the Santa Fe New Mexican.
Nieto said he saw narcotics at the home.
Albuquerque Fire Rescue Hazmat teams are working to identify the substance. Investigators believe it may be spread through contact rather than being airborne, according to authorities.
New Mexico State Police was at the home to help the Torrance County Sheriff’s Office. It’s unclear how many members of each agency were affected by the substance.
The first responders and the one person inside the home who was still alive were taken to the University of New Mexico Hospital.
They are being “quarantined, evaluated, and monitored,” state police said.
Authorities said they secured a perimeter around the home and that there is “no threat to the public.”
“We ask the public to avoid the area and keep all affected individuals and first responders in their thoughts,” state police said.
This is a developing story…
