3 dead in New Mexico home after exposure to unknown substance

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Three people died after first responders were exposed to an unidentified substance when they were called to a suspected drug overdose at a rural home in Mountainair, New Mexico, authorities said Wednesday. More than a dozen responders were quarantined and assessed for possible exposure after arriving at the scene, where investigators said they later treated those showing symptoms and decontaminated others.

Authorities said four people were initially found unresponsive inside the Mountainair home east of Albuquerque. Three died, while the fourth was being treated at an Albuquerque hospital, New Mexico State Police said, adding that the victims’ names were not released.

Antonette Alguire, a volunteer firefighter in Mountainair, said she helped perform CPR on a woman outside the home and then watched emergency medical technicians and firefighters develop symptoms as they worked. She said those symptoms included coughing, vomiting and dizziness, though she did not go inside and did not experience any symptoms herself.

Alguire said the situation was frightening and raised concerns about how first responders might protect themselves in the future. “It’s getting to that point where we just have to live in fear, even saving lives,” she said.

Investigators were working to identify the unidentified substance, and Mountainair Mayor Peter Nieto said he saw drugs at the scene and pointed to that as a possible factor in the deaths. Nieto said the health issues first responders experienced were not related to carbon monoxide or natural gas exposure.

New Mexico State Police said there was no threat to the public, and Officer Wilson Silver said investigators believed the substance “may be transmitted through contact and do not believe it to be airborne.” Silver’s statement was part of guidance aimed at limiting exposure while crews awaited lab results needed to identify what was involved.

The University of New Mexico Hospital said nearly two dozen patients were assessed and decontaminated after being exposed, with many of those being first responders who were showing no symptoms and later were discharged. The hospital said three symptomatic patients were being monitored Wednesday evening.

As law enforcement officers from multiple agencies remained on the scene late Wednesday afternoon, the three bodies were placed on gurneys and loaded into a white van for transport, according to the report. Yellow tape surrounded the home along a dirt road, and a singlewide trailer and multiple vehicles were visible in the residence’s backyard and driveway.

Nieto described Mountainair as a tight-knit community of fewer than 1,000 people and said town hall would close Thursday because of the emotional toll on employees. “A tragedy like this is horrific,” he said, according to the report.

Residents voiced frustration on social media about drug use in their community and beyond. New Mexico’s overdose toll has been among the highest nationwide, and the report said the state had the fourth-highest rate of drug overdose deaths of any U.S. state in 2024, with 775 deaths, based on the most recent data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nieto said local law enforcement and first responders work daily to protect the community, and he argued that lasting change requires family support, accountability, education, and individuals willing to accept help.