BILLINGS, MT – Staff are still struggling and some animals are dealing with the effects of smoke following a drug burn mishap last week that sickened more than a dozen employees of the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter and sent them to the hospital.
The Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter said it could be displaced for up to a month.
Some animals are being fostered, while others were being held at a separate facility last week. A Facebook post from the organization offered an update Tuesday of the situation for employees and animals.
On Sept. 10, methamphetamine was being burned in an incinerator when a “negative pressure issue” forced smoke into the shelter, a Billings Police Department news release said.
A “partner agency” — which the Associated Press identified as the Federal Bureau of Investigation — was burning the drug in an incinerator usually used for animal carcasses.
“The Billings Police Department follows a set schedule for narcotics destruction, in which the health department is notified as well as documentation of each disposal,” the Billings Police release said. “The Billings Police Department and partner agencies have long used the incinerator for narcotics destruction.”
But the animal shelter said the incident last week is one of a series of similar ones the shelter has reported to the City of Billings since 2023 — and a repair was attempted in 2024.
The release said staff on scene were able to evacuate the animals in the shelter, which numbered about 75. Staff on scene were taken to Billings Clinic and Intermountain Health. Some staff members were on oxygen for hours.
Animals that were exposed to the smoke have been decontaminated and bathed, with Trailhead Veterinary Services playing a major role, the shelter’s statement said.
In a statement posted to their website, Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter executive director Triniti Halverson said the shelter wasn’t notified of the plan to incinerate meth and laid out what happened.
“I can firmly and confidently say that, as the Executive Director, I did not know that they were disposing of extremely dangerous narcotics on site,” Halverson’s statement said.
Halverson wrote that when smoke began “pouring” into their feline rooms, she instructed staff to put on masks and begin to evacuate animals. Staff were exposed to the smoke for around an hour, she said.
She then instructed them to go to the emergency room.
“Within minutes of arrival, we were triaged and placed on oxygen,” Halverson’s statement said.
Doctors recommended three hours of oxygen to “prevent short and long term effects.” A Facebook post from the organization on Tuesday said staff were “struggling.”
“Last Wednesday, fourteen of our staff were hospitalized after exposure to meth-contaminated smoke. Ten required hyperbaric treatment at Billings Clinic, with several needing repeated care as symptoms worsened,” the organization said in the post. “Recovery has been slow and uncertain, taking a toll on both our health and our sense of safety. Through it all, our team continues to fight for our mission and care for the animals who depend on us.”
It’s not the first time smoke entering the facility has been an issue.
“Late in 2023, YVAS experienced smoke entering the facility from the crematorium and promptly reported the issue to City administration,” the shelter’s statement said. “There were several continued incidents over the next year, and each time, YVAS escalated the complaints within the City of Billings. In 2024, the City of Billings attempted to repair the crematorium and create protocols to prevent smoke from entering the shelter. YVAS had not experienced issues since then until 9/10/25.”
However, shelter staff had been “told” the police department was using the incinerator, but the shelter’s statement said “no details were ever confirmed.”
The animal shelter has rented part of the 9,002-square-foot building from the City of Billings since 2009. Another section of the building is used by the City of Billings Animal Control Operation, which disposes of wild and domestic animals euthanized by Animal Control Officers, the shelter’s statement said.
Yellowstone Valley is a no-kill shelter, which means it has a “save” rate of 90% or above.
The building itself is being decontaminated as well and may be out of use for up to a month, the shelter statement said.
“We are displaced, lost, and homeless,” the shelter’s statement said.
The shelter is asking for monetary donations and supplies, which can be dropped off at Trailhead Veterinary services at 1327 Central Ave. Trailhead in Billings. More information can be found at www.yvas.org.
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