Lowell Fire Chief Jeffrey Winward is warning city residents about a surge in opioid overdoses after the department responded to 20 cases from Thursday through Saturday.
The patient in each case was revived, but Winward asked residents to be “extra vigilant in the coming days,’’ in a statement that was released on Sunday. Many of the victims were in respiratory arrest.
“Your actions may save your loved one’s life,’’ Winward said.
In an e-mail, Winward said officials believe the surge was caused by higher levels of fentanyl on the streets.
“People think they are buying heroin, but it is often mixed with Fentanyl, or it is pure Fentanyl, which is much stronger and more potent than heroin,’’ he said.
Overdoses in the city had been down slightly before the recent spike, according to Winward.
“Lately, we have been averaging two to three overdoses per day,’’ he said. “Occasionally, there is a spike like this one. . . . The good news is, over the past three days, all patients were revived.’’
The overdoses were spread across the city and in surrounding towns, he said.
The scourge of the current opioid epidemic has been especially strong in Lowell and nearby communities. According to data from the state Department of Public Health, 68 people died of opioid-related overdoses in Lowell in 2016, the most recent year for which data organized by municipality is available. It was the third-highest number in the state, behind Boston (193) and Worcester (73).
Middlesex County had 412deaths that year, the most of any county in the state.
Dylan McGuinness can be reached at dylan.mcguinness@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DylMcGuinness.