VERDE VALLEY, AZ -- The Yavapai County safety office said Monday that the Sedona sweat lodge where two people died lacked the necessary building permit.
According to Yavapai County's building safety manager, there's no record of an application or permit for a temporary structure at the Angel Valley Retreat Center.
The Verde Valley Fire Chief, Jerry Doerksen, said it took 21 minutes to get to the property Thursday because the retreat was in a hard to access rural area.
Sedona Fire Department Spokesperson Gary Johnson said crews first responded to a call at the Angel Valley Retreat Center around 5 p.m. Thursday, when multiple people collapsed after exiting a sweat lodge on the property.
Once paramedics got to the scene, Doerksen said there were 40 patients that had to be assessed and most of the victims shared the same symptoms of heat stroke or carbon monoxide poisoning.
According to Doerksen, the sweat lodge started at 3 p.m. and his team got the 911 call at 5:19 p.m.
Doerksen said the victims could have been inside upwards of two hours.
Dwight D’Evelyn with the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said deputies at the scene learned those injured had been part of a larger group housed in a “sweatbox” type structure on the property.
The structure is reportedly framed in a dome like shape and covered with tarps and blankets. Hot rocks are used with water to create steam in the enclosed environment.
Detectives learned that there were 64 people inside the “sweat dome” when several fell ill, according to YCSO.
Approximately 19 retreat participants were reportedly transported by air and ambulance to area hospitals including the Verde Valley and Flagstaff Medical Center.
Thursday night, two of those transported to the Verde Valley Medical Center were pronounced dead shortly after arrival, according to D’Evelyn.
Sheriff's deputies say autopsies were conducted on the deceased man and woman Friday, but the toxicology results could take weeks to come in.
