2 St. Paul officers hospitalized after fentanyl exposure

Officials with the St. Paul Police Department say two of the department’s officers are recovering after they were exposed to what is believed to be fentanyl Monday morning.

According to police, an officer and a sergeant were doing routine narcotics testing in a property room at the department’s headquarters at around 10 a.m. when they suffered a medical emergency.

One of the officers was able to use Narcan on himself, according to police, while other employees started helping and called medical personnel.

Both were taken to Regions Hospital, and police say they have since been discharged.

A hazmat team was brought in to make sure the air was safe to breathe, and police say both the basement and the first floor were evacuated. In addition, the basement’s HVAC system was shut down, as well as the system for the rest of the building.

Everyone who was on floors two through six were told to stay in place while an assessment was done. The all-clear was given about an hour afterward.

Police are still working to figure out what led up to the exposure.