Three Dead, 18 First Responders Sickened by Fentanyl in New Mexico Home

Three people died and 18 first responders were sickened after exposure to fentanyl and other substances at a rural home in Mountainair, New Mexico, state police said this week. Police found four people unconscious at the residence, located about 90 miles east of Albuquerque.

Two were pronounced dead at the scene; a third died later at a hospital. The fourth person survived. During the response, first responders began showing symptoms including nausea and dizziness. Eighteen were hospitalized and later decontaminated. All Mountainair EMS personnel were subsequently sent home; one first responder remained hospitalized.

Preliminary findings indicate multiple powdered opioids, including fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl, along with methamphetamine, contributed to the three deaths. Officials identified two of the deceased as 51-year-old Mika Rascon and 49-year-old Georgia Rascon.

The medical examiner has not released the identity of the third person. Steve McLaughlin, chief medical officer at the University of New Mexico hospital, said fentanyl appeared to be primarily responsible. He told the Albuquerque Journal that only a tiny amount of the substance is needed to cause an overdose.

A New Mexico state police spokesperson said preliminary evidence did not indicate drug manufacturing at the home. No charges have been filed. The Mountainair police department received an initial report that a person had not arrived at work; a coworker later found the four individuals inside.

Emergency workers entered wearing protective gear after reports suggested a possible gas leak. State police chief Matt Broom said the incident highlights dangers associated with illicit narcotics and their impact on communities. S. markets. Studies cited in the reporting indicate limited evidence that incidental contact poses overdose risk to first responders, though some states have enacted or considered laws addressing such exposure.