1 dies, another injured in Douglas bee attack

One man died and another was injured during a bee attack Wednesday in Douglas while the men were cleaning a yard.

A crew of four men who do landscape work through Douglas ARC, an organization that serves people with developmental disabilities, were working at a house in the 1700 block of 21st Street, said Capt. Ray Luzania of the Douglas Fire Department.

While the workers turned on lawn mowers, the crew was "attacked by a swarm of bees," said Luzania. The men ran to a house in the 1800 block of 21st Street for help, and the homeowner called 911.

Firefighters were dispatched shortly before 10:30 a.m. to the house where the men sought refuge, and worked on one man who had collapsed, Luzania said.

The 32-year-old man went into cardiac arrest, and paramedics treated him and took him to Cochise Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead, said Luzania.

"A witness said his face and neck were covered with bees," Luzania said.

The other man, who was stung more than 100 times, was treated at the hospital and released. The other two workers did not require treatment, said Luzania. He said the homeowner who helped the men drove herself to a hospital in Bisbee and was treated and released.

Firefighters went to the house where the landscaping crew was working and assisted an exterminator while he destroyed the hive. It was estimated that the hive had between 300,000 to 800,000 bees, said Luzania.

"The hive was in the eaves of the house and spread into the attic. The hive was 4 feet wide and 6 feet long," Luzania said.

The homeowner, a 90-year-old man who lived alone, was evacuated from the home while the hive was destroyed, Luzania said.

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1 dies, another injured in Douglas bee attack