Maricopa, ARIZ. (October 31, 2015) At approximately 5:00 PM Maricopa Fire crews responded to an active bee attack on a residential street in the 21000 block of North Van Loo Drive in the Rancho El Dorado subdivision. Fire crews arrived to find a large amount of bees in the area, and several bee sting victims running and screaming for help.
The bees were attacking people in an area that was two blocks long and involved several residences. Six patients were transported to the hospital (3 adults and 3 minors) for further evaluation. One of the adult patients had nearly 300 bee stings counted at the hospital. Two firefighters were also stung during the rescue and did not require treatment.
All Maricopa Fire apparatus are equipped with specialized gear to safety handle bee calls and protect the crews. Tonight, Firefighters were able to wear the bee veils for protection before stepping out of the engine as the extremely aggressive bees immediately attacked them as they rescued the residents. Fire hoses with foam were immediately deployed for protection while victims were located and quickly moved to a safer location for evaluation by paramedics.
Fire crews were on scene approximately two hours and were finally able to locate the hive in an opened water valve box at one of the residents. The bees were sprayed with foam and the hive was contained and killed.
The City of Maricopa Fire Department would like to thank residents and visitors in the area for their understanding and patience while the neighborhood was shut down for over two hours during Halloween. Dusk helped calm the bees which made it hard to locate the hive.
We urge all residents to utilize bee control experts when a hive is found in an area that causes concern for safety. Home owners should never try and exterminate bees on their own. This only puts the public at risk, especially if the bees are aggressive. If you are ever attacked, cover your face and get out of the immediate area. Bees may follow victims for up to a half mile in some cases. Be aware of your surroundings, as hives can be found in many different places.
