A firm that specializes in environmental hazards has issued a restoration plan after a mishap during the burning of methamphetamine by the FBI shut down the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter earlier this month.
Law enforcement officials were using the incinerator to destroy the drugs on Sept. 10 when smoke started billowing into the city-owned building on Monad Road and forced it to be evacuated. The building, which houses Billings’ animal control division and the nonprofit shelter, has since remained closed.
On Monday, the Billings-based firm Northern Industrial Hygiene presented its assessment and plan for restoration work that needs to be completed before the building can be reopened, City Administrator Chris Kukulski said.
He said he met with officials from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality on Friday to confirm the city is taking appropriate action to get the facility back up and running as soon as possible.
DEQ is investigating whether Billings violated the Clean Air Act. Madison McGeffers, a department spokeswoman, said it will take time before state regulators can determine the next steps for the city.
Although Billings has a permit for the incinerator from DEQ, the county’s public health department typically monitors activity at the facility. RiverStone Health on Aug. 12 authorized the city’s request to allow the FBI to use it to burn illegal drugs.
After the incident, certified specialists with Northern Industrial Hygiene analyzed 46 samples collected from inside the building, according to a city news release.
One, taken from the incinerator room, tested above the limit for methamphetamine. Results showed the other samples were below detectable levels.
Up to 14 staff and volunteers who were working in the shelter when it was evacuated were taken to local hospitals for testing and treatment.
Five law enforcement officers who were onsite were also checked. Kukulski said they tested high for carbon monoxide but negative for methamphetamine.
About 75 animals were also evacuated from the shelter and none were lost. They’ve been moved to other locations and are being cared for in foster homes or at veterinary clinics.
The shelter staff is now working out of an office on Grand Avenue. The nonprofit announced on Saturday it can no longer house lost or homeless pets. And city is only picking up vicious animals.
Kukulski said officials are now gathering cost estimates and plan to hire a qualified contractor to restore the building so shelter and animal control operations can resume as soon as possible.
The incinerator will remain out of service for all uses until the city completes its investigation and officials can evaluate next steps.
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Amy Nile
City/County Government Reporter
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