On 10/9, FBI agents incinerated 0.9 kg of methamphetamine in an incinerator inside the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter in Billings, Montana. The smoke back-drafted into the building due to a pressure differential and spread throughout the facility, Billings officials announced on 12/9.
The smoke forced the evacuation of 14 Yellowstone Valley staff members, who were then hospitalized. 75 dogs and cats were relocated to other facilities.
The incinerator is typically used by city officials to dispose of animal remains, but local police and the FBI also use it to destroy drugs every few months.
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Exterior of Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter in Billings, Montana. Photo: AP |
Exterior of Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter in Billings, Montana. Photo: AP
Billings city official Kevin Iffland said a fan should have been used to reverse the airflow, but one was not available.
Shelter director Triniti Halverson said that when the smoke enveloped parts of the building, she assumed it was from incinerated animal remains. The shelter management was unaware of the FBI's methamphetamine disposal that day.
Halverson experienced a sore throat and a severe headache. Others felt dizzy, coughed, and experienced excessive sweating. Most staff required several hours of oxygen treatment.
"It wasn't a party," she said.
Duc Trung (According to AP, CBS News)
