Chicago authorities are investigating what's behind a spike in heroin overdoses on the city's West Side.
A Chicago Department of Public Health alert obtained by the Chicago Tribune reported more than 20 people had overdosed in the neighborhood in just 24 hours.
Police recovered a sample that may have been heroin laced with fentanyl purchased at two West Side locations.
Fire Department Commander Frank Velez confirmed late Thursday that at least 18 people overdosed in the span of 20 hours beginning Wednesday evening. Local hospitals and paramedics noticed the increase.
The painkiller was in the spotlight in the in the mid-2000s when dozens of people died from fentanyl-related overdoses.
Copyright The Associated Press
