In a press release shared with USA TODAY, the Billings Police Department said that a "partner agency" was burning methamphetamine in an incinerator on Sept. 10.

During the blaze, "negative pressure" pushed smoke into the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter, which is in the same building as the machine, according to the press release.

As a result, the shelter began to fill with smoke and was evacuated. However, 14 employees reported feeling sick after the incident and were treated at a local hospital for inhaling the narcotic, Triniti Halverson, the shelter's executive director, said in a statement issued Sept. 13 .

Some animals at the shelter also inhaled smoke and were treated "under close supervision" at a veterinary facility, Halverson said.

Animal shelter workers were treated in hy

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