Mountainair, New Mexico, officials and state investigators said three people died after first responders were exposed while responding to a suspected overdose at a rural home east of Albuquerque. Authorities said four people were found unresponsive inside the home, and three died while a fourth was being treated in Albuquerque.
New Mexico State Police said first responders who arrived at the house were exposed to the substance and began experiencing symptoms. Officials cited symptoms including nausea and dizziness, and they quarantined and assessed more than a dozen responders for possible exposure.
A volunteer firefighter in Mountainair, Antonette Alguire, described helping perform CPR on a woman outside the home. She said she watched as EMTs and firefighters started coughing, vomiting and becoming dizzy at the heliport, adding that the experience was scary even though she did not go inside and did not experience symptoms.
Investigators said they were working to identify the unidentified substance. Mountainair Mayor Peter Nieto said he saw drugs at the scene and pointed to that as a possible factor in the deaths, while also saying the health issues were not related to carbon monoxide or natural gas exposure.
New Mexico State Police said there was no threat to the public, and that investigators believe the substance may be transmitted through contact. Officer Wilson Silver said investigators did not believe the substance to be airborne.
The University of New Mexico Hospital said nearly two dozen patients were assessed and decontaminated after exposure to the substance. Hospital officials said most of those patients were first responders who showed no symptoms and were later discharged, while three symptomatic patients were being monitored as of Wednesday evening.
As law enforcement from multiple agencies remained on the scene late Wednesday afternoon, authorities placed three bodies onto gurneys and loaded them into a white van before driving them away. Yellow tape surrounded the home along a dirt road, and a singlewide trailer and multiple vehicles were visible in the backyard area.
Nieto said Mountainair is a tight-knit community of fewer than 1,000 people and that town hall would close Thursday due to the emotional toll on employees. He said, “A tragedy like this is horrific,” and described the broader reality that addiction and substance abuse affect communities across New Mexico and the nation.
Residents voiced frustration about drug use on social media, and the reporting cited Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data showing New Mexico had the fourth-highest rate of drug overdose deaths of any U.S. state in 2024, with 775 deaths. Nieto said on social media that lasting change requires “family support, accountability, education, and most importantly, individuals who are willing to accept help.”
The Associated Press reported the case as updated after correcting that law enforcement officers remained on the scene late Wednesday afternoon rather than Tuesday, and correcting attribution by Nieto about possible factors in the deaths.