‘Aggressive’ bee attack kills one, sends another to the hospital, Texas officials say

One person was killed and another was hospitalized after they were attacked by a swarm of bees at a Texas home, officials say.

Monday afternoon, first responders arrived at the Breckenridge house where they were “met with very aggressive bee activity,” the Breckenridge Fire Chief Calvin Chaney wrote in a Facebook post.

Officials learned that one person had gone into cardiac arrest after being “severely stung.” They walked through a swarm of bees to enter the home and try to save the victim, who did not survive.

He was later identified as 70-year-old Thomas Hicks, KRBC reported. He was mowing his lawn when hundreds of bees swarmed him.

Hicks’ wife Zoni had just gotten home from the grocery store when she found him covered in bees, according to the outlet.

“I mean you, couldn’t even see his back and his whole head he was just covered in killer bees” she told the outlet.

She said she fought to keep her husband alive.

“I had to do CPR until they got here,” Zoni Hicks told KRBC. “And when they got here they worked on him for over an hour and they realized that they couldn’t bring him back so I had to let him go”

A firefighter had to dress Hicks’ wife in their gear to safely remove her from the home, Chaney said. She was taken to a friend’s house and later hospitalized.

After first responders got everyone out of the house, they warned area residents not to make any noise outside so the bees would calm down and return to their hive.

A beekeeper helped officials find and remove the hive, using “hand tools and foam.”

Calvin asked for prayers for the family following the “traumatic and sad day” and lauded officials for their efforts.

“First responders were faced with the daunting task of patient care and treatment during the attack and remained professional through the event,” Calvin said.

Breckenridge is roughly 100 miles west of Fort Worth.

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This story was originally published April 27, 2021 at 9:51 AM.