Time By Madeleine Carlisle February 22, 2020
Two firefighters, one police officer and two civilians were hospitalized after being stung by a swarm of up to 40,000 bees in Pasadena, Calif., on Thursday. The swarm occurred outside of the Howard Johnson Hotel across the street from Pasadena City College.
Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian tells TIME that the department was the first to arrive to treat a civilian, unaware of the size of the swarm. The first firefighter on the scene received up to 15 to 20 bee stings. Derderian said the bright yellow on their uniforms “didn’t help†because bees are attracted to the bright color; the bees then attacked the firefighter’s face and hands. Once the fire department understood the situation, backup began arriving in bee protective clothing.
Because the swarm occurred across the street from Pasadena City College, there were numerous bystanders. On top of the five people who went to the hospital, other were stung but chose not to get treatment.
The fire department called the police to help set up traffic control, so they could close part of the street to address the swarm. Derderian said the first policeman to arrive didn’t realize the severity of the situation and also was stung the moment he got out of the car.
More:
https://time.com/5789237/bee-swarm-pasadena-california/
