Six people overdose on narcotics at historic Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC cops say

Six people were hospitalized over the weekend after overdosing at an historic century-old hotel in the North Carolina mountains.

It happened Saturday, Feb. 5, at the Omni Grove Park Inn, the Asheville Police Department reported in a news release.

Identities of the six were not released, but all survived, officials said.

“APD officers were dispatched to the Grove Park Inn around 7:45 p.m. ... in reference to a report that numerous individuals had overdosed in (a) hotel room,” officials said.

“Asheville Fire Department and Buncombe County EMS were already on scene and administered patient care to two persons; a total of six persons were transported to Mission Hospital for further treatment.”

Narcotics were found at the scene, and an investigation is underway, police said.

Further details were not released.

WYFF reports first responders treated two of the six with Narcan, a medication used in cases of suspected “opioid overdose emergency.”

Early reports of the incident said some among the six claimed to be first responders visiting from Florida.

However, an investigation proved that to be false, according to a statement released Feb. 6 by the Professional Firefighters/Paramedics of Palm Beach County, Local 2928 IAFF.

“I was made aware of a news article circulating on Facebook ... reporting 14 firefighters from Palm Beach County had overdosed on Cocaine and Fentanyl in Asheville, NC,” Local 2928 President Jeffrey L. Newsome wrote.

“Within 10 minutes I was on the phone with the union president from Asheville. ... It appears 6 individuals were involved in the incident, with 5 claiming ties to the Palm Beach firefighter community. As of now, it does not appear that any of the individuals are employed by any agency that Local 2928 represents.”

The group said it offered “assistance to any other agency who may be affected, but so far none have received any information confirming that their members were involved.”

The historic Grove Park Inn opened in 1913, according to Ominhotels.com. It has hosted “10 U.S. Presidents and countless luminaries from the worlds of art, entertainment, sports, and politics,” RomanticAsheville.com reports.

This story was originally published February 7, 2022 at 1:27 PM with the headline "Six people overdose on narcotics at historic Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC cops say."