FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A bee’s nest created a bigger challenge as firefighters faced a residential fire Thursday afternoon, according to the Fresno Fire Department.
Fresno fire says they, along with Fresno County Fire, responded to a fire on south Thorne and east California avenues just after 2:30 p.m. The home on fire was boarded up and had smoke emitting from all corners.
As firefighters began removing the boards, they say a hoarding situation took place in the homes, which made it unsafe for them to tackle the flames from the inside. Hoarding is a dangerous fire hazard as it can prevent people from moving through the homes during emergencies, creates a bigger, hotter fire load, and makes it harder for crews to locate victims.
Fire crews say they extinguished the fire as much as they could from the outside before moving inside.
In the process of extinguishing the fire, Fresno Fire says they encountered a bee’s nest in the back of the structure. Luckily, only a few firefighters were stung and no major injuries occurred as a result, although it did make battling the fire a greater challenge for crews.
One firefighter was allergic to bees, however, fire crews reassure that they were fully covered and remained away from the hive.
Interestingly enough, if a victim is overcome by a swarm of bees or wasps and it proves to be a major problem, firefighters say they use a firefighting foam that stops them from swarming. Thankfully, they were able to extinguish the fire without further agitating the hive.
The Fresno Fire Department says they are still investigating the fire, however, evidence suggests squatters were staying in the building.