ST. LOUIS — Six people died of suspected drug overdoses Saturday in a two-block stretch of the Central West End.
Capt. Garon Mosby, a spokesman for the St. Louis Fire Department, said seven men and one woman began overdosing around 3:10 a.m. along Forest Park Avenue between South Taylor Avenue and South Boyle Avenue, an area lined by apartment buildings and Washington University School of Medicine offices.
Two other men also suspected of overdosing were taken to a hospital but survived, Mosby said. The majority of the calls for service were made within a roughly 10.5-hour window, with the most recent call coming in late Saturday night.
Mosby said two members of the fire department were also treated and released at an area hospital after being exposed to or contaminated by an unknown opioid.
The fire department responds to suspected overdoses because of the large number of firehouses throughout the city. On any given day, there are only 8-12 medic units versus 30 firehouses, Mosby said.
Fire department vehicles also carry Narcan, a nasal spray that can reverse the effects of opioid overdose.
A spokeswoman for St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department confirmed the deaths were being investigated but had no additional information to release.
Prevent-Ed Executive Director Nichole Dawsey discussed fentanyl.
“Many times, it’s in the drugs that people are taking, and they don’t even know it, leading to overdose,” said Dawsey.
Regarding fentanyl, Dawsey said, “It's cheaper, and it's a higher potency. Drug dealers are not putting fentanyl in these drugs to kill their customers. That's a terrible business model and it does not make sense. They're trying to increase the potency and create higher cravings.”
Prevent-Ed can provide you with Narcan and online training on how to use it. Information is available on the organization’s website. The telephone number is 314-962-3456.
Correction: Feb. 6, 2022
An earlier version of this article reported that two members of the St. Louis Fire Department were treated for suspected fentanyl exposure. A fire department spokesman clarified that they were treated for "exposure to or contamination by an unknown opioid." The spokesman also updated the victims' genders, the total number of deaths and the number of people taken to the hospital.