A swarm of bees descended upon the suburban Phoenix neighborhood of Gilbert Tuesday, causing residents to flee to their homes and hide in terror before firefighters managed to chase them off.
During the attack, four people were injured and hospitalized, including one firefighter who allegedly received 40 to 50 bee stings to the face, according to Reuters.
Firefighters were called to the scene after hearing reports of children being stung and harassed by a swarm of bees.
"Our crews were told that a couple kids had been stung but there were so many bees they couldn't get inside the home," said Mike Connor, a deputy chief with the Gilbert Fire and Rescue Department, NBC News reported. "Basically they just started putting foam on the front of the house. It wasn't a hive, they were swarming."
The crews were unable to even approach the house due to the sheer amount of bees and were forced to wear protective suits.
Firefighters eventually were able to enter the home through a back door, and inside they came across the five residents who had called for help. All five residents were stung, and three of them - a 3-year-old boy, a 14-year-old girl and a 22-year-old woman - were hospitalized, according to the New York Daily News.
Sometime during the incident, the unnamed firefighter was stung by the bees after they worked their way into his protective suit. He too was hospitalized for his injuries.
Firefighters in the area deal with several incidents involving bees every year, but nothing of this magnitude. Connor is still unsure of what caused the bees to swarm in such numbers.
In light of the incident, Connor advised locals not to mess with bees.
"If you find a hive, leave it alone," he concluded.
