3 dead in San Francisco; fentanyl overdoses suspected

GILROY, Calif. (AP) — Three men died and a fourth was hospitalized in Northern California after what authorities believe were fentanyl overdoses.

Santa Clara County sheriff’s deputies were called to a home in an unincorporated area near Gilroy just after 3 p.m. Monday to help firefighters, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies found the men, all in their 50s, unresponsive and gave them Narcan, the office said.

Naloxone, known by the brand name Narcan, is used in emergencies to reverse opioid overdoses.

Three of the men were pronounced dead at the scene. The fourth was hospitalized but there was no immediate word on his condition.

The names of the victims weren’t immediately released.

The four are believed to have overdosed on fentanyl, authorities said, although the Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office will determine the official cause of death.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 80 to 100 times more powerful than morphine. It has been blamed for thousands of deaths in California alone.