yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter Closed After Drug Incineration Mishap
BILLINGS – The Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter remains closed indefinitely after a federal drug incineration operation went wrong, leaving staff with lingering health effects and the community scrambling to care for stray animals. 2025/09/16 20:51:13
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Clean-up after meth smoke released into animal shelter
The incident occurred when the FBI was burning methamphetamine at the facility’s incinerator and the ventilation system malfunctioned, sending 14 employees to the hospital for treatment.
The employees were treated in hyperbaric oxygen chambers, of which the hospital has only four. Workers decided to pair up and sit two per chamber, and spent three hours each in treatment.
Triniti Halverson and Riley Bailey, Yellowstone Valley Animal Services employees
“people are frustrated, people are angry,” said Justin Hutchinson, president of the YVAS Board of Directors.
While no animals were harmed in the incident, all were removed from the facility and decontaminated. Some were placed in foster homes, others at partner veterinary clinics, and nearly two dozen cats are now temporarily housed at the shelter’s Learning Center on Grand Avenue.
Even though the smoke has cleared, shelter staff continue to experience health problems.
“There’s some lingering coughs, lingering sniffles, that kind of stuff,” Hutchinson said.
The shelter is awaiting critical test results from Newman Restoration company that will determine what it takes to clean the contaminated building.
The methamphetamine smoke poses a challenge, as the substance can permeate through porous materials such as drywall, insulation, wood, sheetrock, and textiles. Some walls may need to be removed and rebuilt, and any animal food in bags, towels, worn clothing, or employee belongings must be discarded.
“The smoke or the substance can permeate into absorbent building materials, and so when that happens over time, it’s continuously off-gassing, and it’s recontaminating the atmosphere,” said Andrew Newman, owner and CEO of the company.”I think what we’re going to find is where the source originated, those building materials are going to be impacted probably to the point where a lot of that stuff’s going to have to be removed and rebuilt.”
“test results could come in eit