Fourteen staff members at a US animal shelter have been taken to hospital after the FBI used an incinerator at the facility to burn two pounds of seized methamphetamine. Staff and some 75 cats and dogs were evacuated from the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter in Billings, Montana, when the building filled with smoke on Wednesday. The incinerator is usually used by animal control officers to dispose of euthanised animals, but local authorities said it can also be used by law enforcement to burn seized narcotics. The cats and dogs have been relocated, and the animals which experienced the most smoke exposure are now under supervision. The incident was caused when smoke was pushed in the wrong direction because of negative pressure, according to Assistant City Administrator Kevin Iffland. Shelter executive director Triniti Halverson said she was unaware that a drug burn was happening. I can firmly and confidently say that, as the Executive Director, I did not know that they were disposing of extremely dangerous narcotics onsite, she wrote in a statement. My team and my animals had been confirmed to have been exposed to meth, she said. Before evacuating themselves, many employees put on masks and helped get the animals out. Some staff were exposed to the smoke for more than an hour, and several began to feel sick. All 14 went to the emergency room, where they spent about three hours in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to combat the effects of smoke inhalation. FBI spokesperson Sandra Barker told CBS News that the agency routinely uses outside facilities for controlled drug evidence burns. The impacted animals were given veterinary care and placed in temporary housing, including four litters of kittens who are being closely monitored because they were closed in a room with the smoke, Ms Halverson told the BBC's US partner, CBS News. A restoration team has also begun decontaminating the building, she said, but the process will take at least two weeks to a month. Calling the incident heartbreaking, Halverson is asking the public for donations to source supplies like dog and cat food, blankets and bottles. We are displaced, lost, and homeless. For many of us — staff, volunteers, and fosters — YVAS is our safe space, she said.
FBI's Burn of Seized Meth Leads to Hospital Strike at Animal Shelter
FBI's Burn of Seized Meth Leads to Hospital Strike at Animal Shelter
In a surprising turn of events, fourteen workers from the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter were hospitalized after the FBI burned seized meth in the facility's incinerator, leading to smoke inhalation and evacuation.
A routine narcotics disposal turned dangerous when the FBI incinerated meth at a Montana animal shelter, causing smoke to fill the building. Fourteen staff members were taken to the hospital after responding to the emergency and assisting in evacuating animals. The shelter's executive director was unaware of the drug disposal, and the affected animals are now under care.
