Two people have been reported dead and about 19 others taken to hospital after being overcome while in a sauna-like room at a spiritual retreat in Arizona.
Police said more than 50 people were in a so-called "sweatbox" structure at the Angel Valley resort for about two hours before many became ill.
A Yavapai County sheriff's office spokesman said the two people who died were a middle-aged man and woman.
Police are interviewing staff and guests there to find out what happened.
The 70-acre retreat near the town of Sedona, about 115 miles (185km) north of Phoenix, offers holistic treatments and spiritual retreats in a natural setting, according to its website.
According to local news reports, the sweatbox structure comprised a dome-shaped frame covered by tarpaulins and blankets, with steam generated by pouring water on to hot rocks.
The sweatbox is used in rituals by some Native American cultures.
Critical condition
Homicide detectives are looking at whether any criminal factors may have been a factor in the Angel Valley incident, the Associated Press news agency quotes sheriff's spokesman Dwight D'Evelyn as saying.
Police are also investigating whether any of those taken ill had pre-existing medical conditions or were fasting, he said.
"There are a lot of issues that may have led up to these injuries and deaths," Mr D'Evelyn added.
"It's not something you would normally see at one of the resorts there, and it is unfortunate regardless of the cause."
Twenty-one people were taken by ambulance and helicopter to hospital on Thursday night.
Two were listed as being in a critical condition on Friday. Half a dozen others were said to have been discharged after making a quick recovery.
Verde Valley Fire District Chief Jerry Doerksen told AP that people had begun to emerge after about two hours in the sweatbox, feeling light-headed and weak.
He told AP he had sent a hazardous materials team into the sweatbox to test for substances such as carbon monoxide and other contaminants, but that nothing out of the ordinary had been found so far.
Source news.bbc.co.uk
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