2 people taken to the hospital following bee attack at Mesa senior living facility

MESA, Ariz. - Several people were stung Tuesday during a bee attack at a senior living facility in Mesa.

Thousands of bees swarmed the area Tuesday morning, and of those stung, two were taken to the hospital.

The incident happened at the Fellowship Square HIstoric Retirement Home. During the attack, everyone at the facility was asked to stay inside.

"This was an unusual set of circumstances," said Mesa Fire Captain Mike Castillo. "These bees became extremely aggressive very quickly, and as far as we can tell, they were unprovoked."

Of those injured, a woman in her 80s was stung more than 30 times on her head, face and neck. Meanwhile, a caregiver in her 30s was stung more than 50 times, all over her body.

In addition, fire officials say a Mesa Police officer who responded to the scene was stung in the head and neck area. That officer was not taken to the hospital.

Cpt. Castillo says as it starts heating up in Arizona, bees start to come out.

"As the sun starts to come out throughout the day, what will happen is bees are transient and they follow the queen, and they basically create a hive around the queen. The queen will move to a location, and they will set up the hive in a cooler area. They may stay for a few hours to days," said Cpt. Castillo.

With similar calls in the future, firefighters are fully prepared to help those in need, while taking precautions to protect themselves.