Heroin deaths

Heroin, along with the powerful medication fentanyl, is expected to be responsible for up to 500 overdose deaths in Cuyahoga County this year.

(File photo)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Authroities here issued a warning to the public after seven people fatally overdosed on heroin or fentanyl Saturday across Cuyahoga County.

"This cluster of deaths is deeply concerning," Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Thomas Gilson said in a Saturday statement. "Although there is no clear link between the individuals, this number clearly raises the possibility of a very deadly drug in our community."

Gilson said that his office has no evidence linking the cases together.

He urged that, if people are going to use drugs, they not use them alone and not mix different drugs together to minimize the risk of overdosing.

The medical examiner's office said it is still conducting tests to determine which drugs were involved in the overdoses.

But the news comes months after outbreaks of overdoses in Akron and Cincinnati involving the animal sedative carfentanil left dozens dead.

"Carfentanil is a concern any time there are multiple fatalities," said Gilson's spokesman, Chris Harris, pointing out that the office is still testing drugs.

Cuyahoga County is on pace to log more than 500 overdose deaths from heroin, fentanyl or a combination of the two this year.