On Tuesday, July 20, at 1931 Hours (7:31 PM PDT) five Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, four LAFD Rescue Ambulances and one EMS Battalion Captain under the direction of 15th Battalion Commander Robert Rose, responded to a bee swarm with injuries at 19925 Roscoe Boulevard in Winnetka.
With initial citizen reports of a structure fire, firefighters traveling in the vicinity arrived quickly to witness panicked residents fleeing from what appeared to be a sizeable volume of smoke near an apartment building.
A quick assessment determined the cloud to be not a fire, but rather a large swarm of agitated bees.
According to witnesses, a municipal maintenance crew had been trimming trees along the busy thoroughfare earlier in the day. Following their departure, a large branch fell forcefully, severing a power line and plunging the adjacent 22-unit apartment building into darkness.
As residents rushed to investigate the sound, they were enveloped in the swarm of aggressive bees. Firefighters quickly cordoned off the area, directing bystanders to safe refuge, while they donned LAFD issued bee hoods and personal protective gear.
With word that several residents were injured, firefighters swiftly identified four persons who received multiple bee stings, as well as a nine-year-old who toppled from a second floor balcony while fleeing the swarm. Though reportedly not stung, she sustained a serious leg fracture and ankle injury. All five patients were taken to nearby Northridge Hospital Medical Center for treatment of non life-threatening injuries.
Protective hose lines capable of dispensing a bee controlling foam and water mixture were strategically deployed by firefighters who oversaw utility workers, pest control experts and arborists stabilizing the scene. More than four hours later, control of the location was returned to the building owner.
