An animal shelter in Montana was evacuated and its staff sent to hospital after smoke from two pounds of methamphetamine, incinerated by the FBI, filled the building, city officials in Billings have confirmed.
The smoke began to fill the building during a drug burn on Wednesday, apparently due to negative pressure that drew it back inside, Billings Assistant City Administrator Kevin Iffland explained on Friday.
A fan, typically used to reverse such pressure and direct smoke outwards, was reportedly not readily available.
Fourteen Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter workers were taken to hospital as a precaution, Mr Iffland confirmed.
All dogs and cats at the facility were subsequently relocated or placed into foster homes.
Mr Iffland clarified that the incinerator, while primarily used for animal carcasses, is also utilised by local law enforcement and FBI agents every couple of months to destroy seized narcotics.
Some workers had symptoms such as not feeling well. “I don’t know if it was from the smoke inhalation or exactly what it was,” Iffland said.
Billings resident Jay Ettlemen went to the shelter on Friday to donate dog food and said he was angry when he found out about the drug burns.
“Why the hell are they destroying drugs inside the city limits?” Ettlemen asked. “There’s so many other places in the middle of nowhere.”
The FBI routinely uses outside facilities to conduct controlled drug evidence burns, agency spokesperson Sandra Barker said. She referred further questions to Billings officials.
A city animal control supervisor who was present for Wednesday’s burn declined to go the hospital, Iffland said. The FBI agents were told to go to the hospital by their supervisor.
The incinerator is meant to operate at a certain temperature so it doesn’t emit toxins. Iffland said officials were trying to determine if it was at the appropriate temperature Wednesday.
The shelter will remain closed until it can be tested for contamination. Shelter workers were tested for potential exposure and Iffland said he did not know the results.
