5 heroin deaths reported in Santa Rosa over the past 10 days

Five people apparently have died during the past 10 days because of heroin overdoses in the Santa Rosa area, according to the Sonoma County Coroner’s Office.

The surge in drug-related fatalities was being publicized “to warn the public of this disturbing trend,” according to a statement released Tuesday by the county Sheriff’s Office. “The Coroner’s Office is concerned that the heroin being distributed in Santa Rosa right now is very volatile and potentially toxic.”

The victims were not identified, and the final causes of the deaths has not been officially determined. But all of the overdoses took place during a 10-day period in or near Santa Rosa, the county’s largest city.

All of the overdoses took place during a five-day period in or near Santa Rosa. All of the overdoses took place during a five-day period in or near Santa Rosa. Photo: Yoko Aziz, Getty Images Photo: Yoko Aziz, Getty Images Image 1 of / 18 Caption Close 5 heroin deaths reported in Santa Rosa over the past 10 days 1 / 18 Back to Gallery

John King is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jking@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @johnkingsfchron