Cambria County -- Officials say fentanyl is known as the new oxycontin. It's 80 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin.

Seven people have died across Western Pennsylvania in just a few days, with cases believed to be tied to a deadly combination of heroin and fentanyl. The drugs are mixed intentionally for a more intense high, but officials say, it's killing addicts at an alarming rate.

"I know we've had two fentanyl deaths within Blair County in the past two months," says Chief Deputy Coroner, Jeff Geyer. "We've had five additional deaths related to just fentanyl, so we are seeing quite a bit."

In Cambria County, Coroner Denny Kwiatkowski, says he's seen four fentanyl deaths so far this year. Because of the growing problem, both Blair and Cambria counties now automatically test for fentanyl with every drug death.

"Fentanyl is a very high potency, much stronger than the heroin and morphine addicts are used to," says Geyer. "Even at the risk of death, they'll try it."

Experts say, fentanyl is not only being mixed with heroin, but also alcohol and other drugs and it's even be taken alone.

"They're mixing it with other drugs, with pain killers, pretty much anything they can get their hands on," says Kwiatkowski.

He says because of it's potency, fentanyl can likely kill in just one use.