3 dead in New Mexico and first responders decontaminated after exposure to unknown substance
MOUNTAINAIR, NM (AP) — Three persons are dead and greater than a dozen first responders had to be quarantined and assessed Wednesday for attainable exposure to an unidentified substance after being referred to as to a suspected drug overdose at a rural New Mexico dwelling, authorities stated.
Four folks had been initially discovered unresponsive contained in the Mountainair dwelling east of Albuquerque, New Mexico State Police stated. Three died, whereas the others had been being handled at an Albuquerque hospital, police stated. Their names weren’t launched.
First responders who arrived on the dwelling had been uncovered to the substance and started experiencing signs, together with nausea and dizziness, authorities stated.
Antonette Alguire, a volunteer firefighter in Mountainair, helped carry out CPR on a girl exterior the house and watched as EMTs and firefighters began coughing, vomiting and changing into dizzy on the heliport, she stated. Alguire stated the expertise was scary, despite the fact that she did not go inside and did not expertise any signs.
She puzzled if first responders might need to do extra to shield themselves in the longer term.
“It’s getting to that point where we just have to live in fear, even saving lives,” she said.
Investigators are working to identify the substance. Mountainair Mayor Peter Nieto said he saw drugs at the scene and pointed to that as a possible factor in the deaths. He said the health issues people experienced were not related to carbon monoxide or natural gas exposure.
New Mexico State Police said there was no threat to the public.
“At this time, investigators believe the substance may be transmitted through contact and do not believe it to be airborne,” said Officer Wilson Silver.
Nearly two dozen patients were evaluated and decontaminated after being exposed to the substance, the University of New Mexico Hospital said. Most of those were first responders who were showing no symptoms and later were discharged, hospital officials said. Three symptomatic patients were being monitored Wednesday evening, the hospital said.
As law enforcement officers from multiple agencies remained on the scene late Wednesday afternoon, three bodies were placed onto gurneys and then loaded into a white van and driven away.
Yellow tape surrounded the home along a dirt road. A single wide trailer could be seen in the home’s backyard, with several cars, trucks and vans in the driveway.
The mayor described Mountainair as a tight-knit community of fewer than 1,000 people. Town hall will be closed Thursday because of the emotional toll on employees, he said.
“A tragedy like this is horrific,” he stated.
Residents voiced frustration on social media about drug use in the neighborhood and elsewhere. New Mexico had the fourth-highest charge of drug overdose deaths of any US state in 2024, with 775 deaths, in accordance to the newest knowledge accessible by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Nieto stated on social media that the city’s legislation enforcement officers and first responders work day by day to shield the neighborhood and reply to tough conditions.
“But the reality is that addiction and substance abuse are issues affecting communities all across our state and nation,” Nieto stated. (*3*)
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This story has been up to date to right that legislation enforcement officers remained on the scene late Wednesday afternoon, not Tuesday. It additionally corrects attribution to Nieto about attainable elements in the deaths.
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Montoya Bryan reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Associated Press reporter Hallie Golden in Seattle and Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana, contributed to this report.
