6 Hospitalized After Possible Fentanyl Exposure In Cheshire

CHESHIRE, CT — All six of the Department of Correction staff members who were taken to area hospitals from the Cheshire Correctional Institution have tested negative for exposure to fentanyl and have been release from the local hospitals, officials said in an update Tuesday.

The cause of each of the staff illnesses has still yet to be determined, and is part of the Department of Correction’s and Connecticut State Police’s ongoing investigation into the matter.

Earlier in the day the Cheshire Fire Department tested the facility for excessive amounts of carbon monoxide in the air, and found no abnormal levels, officials said.

The facility remains on lockdown status as an environmental services contractor continues to clean portions of the facility.

Due to health privacy laws, the names of the staff who were affected are being withheld.

“I am glad that the staff members are out of the hospital,” Department of Correction Commissioner Rollin Cook said. “I cannot overstate how important the safety of our agency’s staff is to me.”

The situation began unfolding at about 9 a.m. on Tuesday, July 30, when an ambulance was called to the Cheshire Correctional Institution to transport a correction officer - who was in medical distress - to the hospital. Then at about 10 a.m., a staff member from the facility’s school system also began feeling unwell, according to officials.

“Shortly thereafter, a school teacher and three additional correction officers reported feeling poorly,” officials said in a press release. “All of the affected staff members remained consciousness and alert. Two staff members have since been treated and released from the hospital.”

No offenders have exhibited signs of fentanyl exposure, officials said.

The Connecticut State Police Hazmat team, and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection both reported to the Cheshire facility.