At least six people were stung repeatedly after bees converged in an Arizona neighborhood on Tuesday. Four of the victims needed to stay in the hospital for further treatment after the ordeal.

The headline-grabbing incident happened in Gilbert City, Arizona. One of the firemen, sent out to rescue the people in the beleaguered neighborhood, endured more than 40 bee stings even though he was wearing a special hood to protect himself from the insects.

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The assistant chief of the city's fire department Mike Connor said the stung fireman needed to be taken to the hospital due to the seriousness of his injuries. Some of his colleagues were also stung, but none of them required any medical attention.

The bees were so numerous that they occupied the whole neighborhood. Residents had no choice but stay inside their houses to avoid being stung. Rescuers later moved in to remove the swarm out of the neighborhood.

Authorities are not sure why the bees suddenly became belligerent. The fire department spokesperson theorized that the bees in one of the nearby hives may have been provoked.

At least two children were among the people stung. Although the rescuers arrived at the scene immediately, they could not enter the house and get children because the bees were already blocking the main door. One of the children, identified through his first name, Isaac, a two year old boy, received approximately one hundred bee stings.

Firefighter sprayed the house with foam to remove the bees before they could rescue the young victims. Fortunately, all of the four people hospitalized, including a toddler, were declared out of danger by Wednesday.

Local media outlets were able to take photos and videos of the firefighters using foam to drive the bees out. The rescuers intended to merely remove the bees from the residential area, but some were killed in the process.

In Arizona, many local beehives are located near residential areas, which is why the fire department is advising people not to disturb the bees.

Tagsbee swarm, bee sting, Arizona bees, bee attack, Gilbert, Arizona, African bees, Bees, beehives, provoked bees