{"id":2488910,"date":"2025-09-20T10:06:01","date_gmt":"2025-09-20T14:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/meth-smoke-engulfs-montana-animal-shelter-after-fbi-drug-burn-goes-wrong-sends-14-to-the-hospital\/"},"modified":"2025-09-20T10:08:58","modified_gmt":"2025-09-20T14:08:58","slug":"meth-smoke-engulfs-montana-animal-shelter-after-fbi-drug-burn-goes-wrong-sends-14-to-the-hospital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/meth-smoke-engulfs-montana-animal-shelter-after-fbi-drug-burn-goes-wrong-sends-14-to-the-hospital\/","title":{"rendered":"Meth Smoke Engulfs Montana Animal Shelter After FBI Drug Burn Goes Wrong, Sends 14 to the Hospital"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmeth-smoke-engulfs-montana-animal-shelter-after-fbi-drug-burn-goes-wrong-sends-14-to-the-hospital%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2488910&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In montana, staff at the yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter were hospitalized after inhaling methamphetamine smoke caused by a malfunctioning incinerator located in the same building. The incinerator,operated by Billings Animal Control and sometimes used by police and the FBI too dispose of seized drugs,malfunctioned on September 10 while destroying two pounds of meth. Smoke filled parts of the shelter, leading to symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, and coughing among 13 staff members and animals. The shelter was evacuated, and the exposed individuals were sent to the emergency room. this was not the first malfunction; previous incidents occurred in 2023, and the device had been repaired in 2024. Staff were unaware that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-falsely-labels-police-military-veterans-as-white-supremacists\/\" title=\"Biden falsely labels ..., military veterans as \u2018white supremacists\u2019\">dangerous narcotics<\/a> were being incinerated onsite. The shelter remains closed pending decontamination, with 75 animals relocated or fostered temporarily. Some <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >local residents expressed concern<\/a> about drug disposal within city limits.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Staff members at a Montana <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/professor-shelter-animals-are-being-euthanized-because-of-capitalism-white-supremacy\/\" title=\"Professor: ... ... Are Being Euthanized Because Of \u2018Capitalism,\u2019 \u2018White Supremacy\u2019\">animal shelter<\/a> were rushed to the hospital after the pet center filled with meth smoke.<\/p>\n<p>Both workers and animals inhaled methamphetamine after the onsite incinerator, sometimes used by police and FBI, malfunctioned on Sept. 10, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/yvas.org\/yvas-emergency-evacuation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statement<\/a> from Triniti Halverson, the executive director at the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter.<\/p>\n<p>The City of Billings Animal Control Operations, which operates the animal crematorium, occupies the same building as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ap-pet-project-musician-creates-a-playlist-for-shelter-animals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pet shelter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But sometimes Billings police and the FBI use the incinerator to dispose of drugs, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/billingsgazette.com\/news\/local\/government-politics\/article_a2b175c7-fe50-4ef2-b2db-fba3a1627df3.html?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=facebook_Billings_Gazette&amp;fbclid=IwY2xjawM1VDlleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFjbDJBR3FDQkp5SGRRbFhwAR7p1hxA8fPba9Zqm4-u3hgEC2TBtiy9k1GeOc9U0XWmUyAMzHWKkApR7mqwig_aem_LZg8bBHA7TOQXNllsc5puw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Billings Gazette<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>On that particular day, however, the incinerator had malfunctioned because of a pressure issue.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>As a cloud of meth filled the building, Halverson sprang into action.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When the smoke started pouring out of one of our feline isolation rooms, I instructed staff to put on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/cdc-warns-disease-outbreak-5-nations-china-revives-covid-era-control-measures\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">COVID<\/a> masks and begin evacuating the animals,&rdquo; Halverson said in her statement. &ldquo;13 staff members and I were exposed to the smoke for approximately an hour, and several began feeling ill. At this time, I instructed the team to go to the emergency room for treatment.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Halverson said she and her team experienced headaches, sore throats, dizziness, sweating, and coughing, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/montana-animal-shelter-incinerator-methamphetamine-c471a1a007237b55aa6b8fea8af5673d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Police were disposing 2 pounds of meth when the incident happened.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">A cloud of smoke from two pounds of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/border-patrol-has-seized-more-fentanyl-so-far-this-than-in-all-of-2020-as-overdoses-surge\/\" title=\"Border Patrol Has Seized More Fentanyl So Far This Than In All Of 2020 As Overdoses Surge\">methamphetamine seized<\/a> by the FBI and incinerated inside a Montana animal shelter sent its workers to the hospital, city officials in Billings said. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/p7HORpJz6y\">https:\/\/t.co\/p7HORpJz6y<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; 13 Action News (@13abc) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/13abc\/status\/1967060739530564087?\">September 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>But this wasn&rsquo;t the first time the incinerator had malfunctioned.<\/p>\n<p>It spewed smoke into the animal shelter on several occasions in 2023. It wasn&rsquo;t until 2024 that the City of Billings repaired the machine, Halverson said.<\/p>\n<p>And while staff members knew that police sometimes used it to dispose of &ldquo;evidence,&rdquo; they were shocked to learn about the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/flight-attendant-pleads-guilty-using-meth-taking-clothes-off-mid-flight\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">meth<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I can firmly and confidently say that, as the Executive Director, I did not know that they were disposing of extremely dangerous narcotics onsite,&rdquo; Halverson said.<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, the shelter will remain closed until decontaminated of meth, which could take two weeks to a month, she said.<\/p>\n<p>As for the displaced animals, 75 cats and dogs were either relocated or put into foster homes, according to the Associated Press.<\/p>\n<p>Billings resident Jay Ettlemen was upset about the incident.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Why the hell are they destroying <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/election-official-resigns-reportedly-hiding-drugs-grandchilds-ice-cream\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">drugs<\/a> inside the city limits?&rdquo; Ettlemen said, according to the Associated Press. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s so many other places in the middle of nowhere.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Billings Assistant City Administrator Kevin Iffland said the incinerator has been used reliably for decades.<\/p>\n<p>In 2024, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ind-law-enforcement-announces-biggest-drug-bust-in-bartholomew-county-history\/\" title=\"Ind. law enforcement announces biggest drug bust in Bartholomew County history\">law enforcement seized<\/a> nearly 100 pounds of meth and more than 45,000 fentanyl pills, the Billings Gazette reported.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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Both employees and animals were exposed to methamphetamine when the onsite incinerator, occasionally used by police and the FBI, malfunctioned on September 10, according to Triniti Halverson, executive director of Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2488911,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2025-09-16T171730.030.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[63745,63744,63742,63743],"class_list":["post-2488910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-chemical-exposure","tag-fbi-drug-burn","tag-meth-smoke","tag-montana-animal-shelter"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2025-09-16T171730.030.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2488910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2488910"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2488910\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2488914,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2488910\/revisions\/2488914"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2488911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2488910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2488910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2488910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}