First responders in rural New Mexico became sick after they responded to a suspected overdose call at a home east of Albuquerque, where three people were found dead, authorities said Friday. Officials said fentanyl and methamphetamine were discovered at the scene in the town of Mountainair, while the investigation continued into how the exposure happened and what caused the responders’ symptoms.
University of New Mexico Hospital Chief Medical Officer Steve McLaughlin told reporters in Albuquerque that clinicians saw symptoms that most closely resembled fentanyl exposure, though the full cause of the incident remained under investigation. McLaughlin said the medical team was working “under the assumption” that fentanyl was to blame, and he described symptoms ranging from mild to slightly more severe among responders who became ill.
Officials said a doctor who examined responders described their symptoms as including nausea and dizziness. McLaughlin also told The Associated Press that fentanyl may not be absorbed through skin in casual contact, but could be absorbed through eyes, the nose, mucous membranes or if someone inhales it.
Authorities said three people found inside the house on Wednesday died, and a fourth person who had been at the home—and one of the emergency responders who became sick—were still being treated at a hospital as of Friday. New Mexico State Police later identified two of the victims as Mika Rascon, 51, and Georgia Rascon, 49. The third person’s name had not been released, and authorities said the cause and manner of death were still undetermined.
Investigators said responders received calls after reports of an unconscious 60-year-old man who was breathing, and additional people were also at the residence. Audio archives from the Torrance County Fire Dispatch channel on the site Broadcastify showed dispatchers calling for naloxone, the opioid-overdose antidote, and saying that multiple people at the home might not be breathing. Authorities said one person was revived using naloxone, and less than an hour after the initial call, dispatchers relayed that there were multiple exposures.
Authorities said some first responders began coughing, vomiting and experiencing dizziness, while most of the initial responders reported no symptoms. Torrance County Fire Chief Gary Smith said the initial responders did not have protective gear but followed safety protocols, and he said they pulled two victims into the fresh air and attempted resuscitation. Smith also said there was no indication of a hazmat scenario when the call first came in.
McLaughlin and officials also emphasized that responders who became ill had directly treated people found inside the house. New Mexico State Police Chief Matt Broom said investigators did not immediately find evidence of drug manufacturing in the home. State police said early on that they did not believe the substance that made responders ill was airborne and that investigators did not believe there was a threat to the public.
After the incident, more than a dozen first responders were quarantined and decontaminated. Officials said debriefings were planned in the coming days to determine whether there were any weaknesses in the response.
The case unfolded against a backdrop of severe overdose impacts in New Mexico. The state had the fourth-highest rate of drug overdose deaths of any U.S. state in 2024, with 775 deaths, according to the most recent data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.