Investigators in New Mexico are trying to identify a mysterious substance that may have contributed to the deaths of three people and led to more than a dozen first responders being briefly quarantined.
Two people remained in a hospital Thursday, including a person who was found unresponsive in a home where the three died east of Albuquerque, in the rural town of Mountainair.
Authorities went to the home on Wednesday after being called about a suspected drug overdose.
Some first responders began coughing, vomiting and experiencing dizziness, authorities said. As a result, medical workers checked nearly two dozen people who may have come into contact with the substance, the University of New Mexico Hospital said.
Autopsies will be conducted and authorities said they were testing to determine what substances were in the home.
First responders were decontaminated after the incident, with most showing no symptoms, hospital officials said.
New Mexico has a high number of overdoses, with 775 deaths in 2024, the fourth-highest rate of drug overdose deaths of any U.S. state, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
