Firefighters, Paramedics Respond to Bee Sting Victim – But They Also End Up Needing Medical Attention

Eight paramedics, firefighters and civilians suffered a number of bee stings after encountering a swarm like that which you see in the cartoons.

A swarm of bees attacked and then turned on emergency responders who showed up to help. (Photo: Shutterstock.com)

The event, from which no one died, took place Sunday in a Forth Worth neighborhood. Emergency crews were on the scene responding to an allergic reaction call from a bee-sting victim at a dilapidated house, Fort Worth Fire Department spokesman Richard Harrison told the Dallas Morning News.

Even though emergency responders were prepared to encounter the insects, their protective gear was not enough.

“There was probably like 100s of bees. I have never seen that many bees, it was like the cartoons when you see a swarm of bees,” Elizabeth Garcia, a victim of the stings, told KTVT-TV.

“They got in my hood and I didn’t like that so I yanked it off,” firefighter Fernando Hernandez said according to the local news outlet. “I bolted down the street. Luckily, some neighbor was watering his garden and he sprayed me down with water so they left me alone.”

After emergency crews were not quite successful at dealing with the bees, Harrison told the Dallas Morning News “everyone was sort of looking at each other and saying, ‘what do we do now?’” A pest control expert was called in to take care of the situation.

Although a paramedic and civilian were hospitalized with hundreds of stings, the other victims suffered fewer stings.

The condition of the man stung more than 100 times was not known Monday.

Authorities say it's not clear what provoked the bees to attack.

Last month, about 30,000 bees attacked another couple in Texas. Although the couple ended up surviving the stings, their horses were killed as a result.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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