Overview

• Fourteen Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter employees were hospitalized for smoke exposure, many treated in hyperbaric oxygen chambers and later released, with some reporting lingering symptoms.
• Roughly 75 cats and dogs were evacuated and relocated, and several litters of kittens that received heavier exposure are under veterinary observation.
• City officials say smoke re-entered the facility when negative pressure drew it inside and a reversing fan was not available, and they are also reviewing whether the incinerator reached the required temperature.
• The crematorium, typically used for animal remains, is periodically used by law enforcement and the FBI for narcotics destruction; shelter leaders say they were not notified of this burn and had raised concerns about past odors.
• The shelter remains closed as restoration crews perform air-quality tests and plan remediation, with lab results expected soon; several FBI personnel present were evaluated and released the same day.