Modesto firefighters battle flames and thousands of angry bees at vegetation fire
What do firefighters expect on the job? Extinguishing blazes, saving animals and people? Certainly. What about dealing with bees?
When Modesto fire crews joined Cal Fire in responding to a vegetation fire on Sonora Road in east Stanislaus County, they had no idea that thousands of angry bees would challenge them as they tried to put out the fire.
At around 11:30 a.m. Thursday, firefighters were dispatched to the vegetation fire, where they were told beekeepers were smoking bees in boxes to gather honey.
When the beekeepers set their machinery down, they didn’t realize that a piece broke off and slid beneath one of the bee boxes. By the time the beekeepers returned, they saw a fire had started and picked up because of wind.
Thousands of bees swarmed the area as firefighters managed to control the fire in 15 minutes. Several firefighters were stung, and crews sprayed water to encourage the bees to leave their trucks alone.
Around $40,000 worth of bees and honey were reported lost from the incident.
This story was originally published September 6, 2024 at 11:36 AM.
