unknown substance – Three people died after being found unresponsive inside a home east of Albuquerque, and more than a dozen first responders were treated for exposure to an unidentified substance during the response.
When New Mexico State Police arrived at a home east of Albuquerque in Mountainair, officials expected a routine emergency call for an alleged drug overdose. Instead, the response quickly turned into a hazardous scene.
Authorities said three of the four people found unresponsive inside the home have died, while the remaining person is being treated at a hospital in Albuquerque.
State Police said more than a dozen first responders were being treated Wednesday for exposure to an unidentified substance. The call came because the situation was suspected to be a drug overdose, and investigators worked the scene while emergency crews began reporting symptoms.
During the response, officials said 18 first responders were exposed to the substance and began experiencing nausea and dizziness. All of the first responders were transported to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where they were quarantined and are being monitored.
Officer Wilson Silver of New Mexico State Police said two of the first responders were listed in serious condition.
Albuquerque Fire Rescue Hazmat teams assisted at the scene in Mountainair, a rural community east of Albuquerque, as investigators tried to identify what the substance was.
Silver said investigators believe the substance may be transmitted through contact and do not believe it to be airborne.
Mountainair town officials said there is no threat to the public and that a secure perimeter has been established around the home.
New Mexico Mountainair unknown substance first responders Hazmat Albuquerque Fire Rescue University of New Mexico Hospital drug overdose Officer Wilson Silver