A man is awake and alert after being stung several hundred times by bees near Loop 303 and Lake Pleasant Parkway Wednesday morning, according to Peoria fire.
Fire officials say a Central Arizona Project employee was removing an abandoned couch from underneath the underpass in the area when he noticed a swarm of bees nesting inside the couch.
The man tried to flee and ran a quarter mile before lying down on the ground, according to Peoria fire.
Firefighters found the man lying in a dirt roadway when they arrived on scene. Crews say he was awake and stable before he was flown by helicopter to the hospital.
A second worker was stung a few times and was evaluated by crews but not taken to the hospital.
CAP released the following statement on the incident:
"The staff were removing debris that had been illegally dumped on a major part of critical CAP infrastructure, a siphon that carries water under a riverbed. The employees lifted a large piece of garbage (a dilapidated couch) and unearthed a swarm of bees, which attacked. Both employees are now being treated for stings."
