At the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter this week, 14 employees fell sick as a result of toxic fumes. According to Assistant City Administrator Kevin Iffland, the FBI was burning methamphetamine inside the animal control space, which the City of Billings owns. The facility is located in Billings, Montana.
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It all started when Trinity Halverson, the executive director of the facility, was sitting outside on Wednesday. Halverson said she could smell the smoke early on and knew it was coming from the building's incinerator. "The little bit longer that I could smell it, I knew that it was something burning in the crematory." As they coughed, employees attempted to get the animals out before the smoke became too much to bear.
Iffland says that inside the incinerator, due to a "negative pressure issue," smoke started being pushed into the shelter. The smoke travelled to the dog side of the shelter first, and employees were forced to begin evacuating the animals. In the process of this happening, as many as 14 employees fell ill due to the toxic fumes.
What Happens Now
Methamphetamine can be incredibly dangerous because when burned, it can cause direct damage to the body through the lungs and other organs. It also introduces toxic chemicals to the body as a byproduct, which can cause people to react and get sick as a result.
After the initial smoke spread, the affected employees at the Animal Shelter were taken to Billings Clinic and Intermountain Health. Many sought treatment through a hyperbaric chamber, which is a pressurized medical device. Being in a hyperbaric chamber allows patients to breathe oxygen at a normal level, but at an increased atmospheric pressure. This can accelerate the healing process for specific conditions.
As for the animals affected by the smoke, all animals, cats and dogs included, were evacuated and moved into foster care or off the site. According to Iffland, the incinerator that had released the smoke was used to dispose of narcotics. The machine had been renovated within the past year, but it was still experiencing some pressure difficulties.
Certain protocols are required for the police department to destroy drugs and narcotics, which involve keeping records of the disposals and notifying the health department. For now, employees from the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter are continuing to heal while the next steps on this are being discussed.
Photo by: Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images
