VALDEZ — Event organizers said they evacuated more than 1,500 people from a Southern Colorado arts festival on Friday after two incidents involving fentanyl-laced substances.
Apogaea, a regional Burning Man-sanctioned event, has been held in Valdez since 2016. The site is about 12 miles west of Trinidad in Las Animas County.
Event organizers said two participants alerted staff after someone gave them a substance that tested positive for fentanyl on Thursday. Apogaea staff said on Friday, another participant noticed an undissolved gelcap in their clear water bottle. Organizers said two strip tests of the gelcap tested positive for fentanyl.
Watch Our Coverage of the Incident Below
Lawrence Phipps, an Apogaea organizer, said staff believe the second incident was a situation of non-consensual drugging. He said no one was hurt or taken to the hospital during the festival.
"The most aggravating factor of this was, you know, there was an intentional act that, you know, we felt was targeting... we were concerned at first that it was targeting our volunteers," said Phipps.
Mindy Chambers, President of Apogaea, said organizers decided to shut down the festival on Friday afternoon out of an abundance of caution.
"This was an incredibly difficult and emotional moment for everyone," said Chambers. "We really appreciate the help and the resilience of our community."
Joe Richards, the Las Animas County Emergency Manager, said event organizers were in touch with him as the incidents happened. He said the decision to cancel the festival was ultimately up to the event staff, but he applauded their decision.
"We're not talking about a mild drug, like, you know, marijuana or something, which we could have handled," said Richards. "I think this is a good lesson learned. You know, watch out. Watch your children. Watch what you're doing. Don't put anything down that you can't keep an eye on, because you never know what someone might, may or may not do, and you have to protect yourself."
Richards said he plans to conduct an after-action report to determine any necessary security measures for future festivals.
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Fentanyl scare prompts evacuation from a southern Colorado arts festival
A fentanyl scare prompted the evacuation of more than 1,500 people from an arts festival in southern Colorado over the weekend.
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