More than two dozen people were taken to the hospital Thursday after an apparent mass overdose in Baltimore, the local firefighters union said on social media.
The fire department responded “to a mass casualty incident involving multiple individuals exhibiting overdose symptoms” in the Penn-North neighborhood Thursday morning, the International Association of Fire Fighters’ Baltimore unit said.
At least 25 people were taken to the hospital, said John Marsh, spokesperson for the Baltimore City Fire Department.
Five are in critical condition, NBC News affiliate WBAL-TV reported.
It was not immediately clear what they overdosed on, or what most of their conditions are.
The Baltimore City Health Department said on Facebook it also responded to the overdose event. The department was distributing naloxone, a medication that can reverse overdoses, throughout the neighborhood.
Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace told WBAL the number of victims is expected to change as other overdoses from the area are identified.
Officials are in the area to look for others who might be experiencing a medical emergency and are treating the area as an active crime scene, Deputy Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Jones said, according to WBAL.
