Bee-sting victims

PECOS Four people were out of the hospital Friday after suffering repeated bee stings while demolishing a house Thursday afternoon.

Joseph G. Torres, Pecos city manager, said Bobby Lara, Michael Baca, Manuel Navarrete and Israel Maruffo were all stung several times by bees at 2:30 p.m. Thursday while demolishing a 520 W. Fifth St. house.

Torres said the four, who were part of the Pecos City Construction Demolition crew, were released Friday from the Reeves County Hospital.

Ricky Herrera, Reeves County emergency management coordinator, said the bees also stung an elderly man. However, Herrera said he didn't know the man's name or if he'd been released from the hospital.

Furthermore, Herrera said two animals were killed during the bee attack.

"They got to the dogs and destroyed them," Herrera said.

Herrera said the bees were sent to a Texas A&M laboratory to see if they were Africanized, but the emergency coordinator said he thinks he already knows the results of those tests.

"Just by the way they came at everybody, I think they were Africanized," he said. "I've worked with bees for years, and these bees were after everybody."

Torres said bee attacks aren't common around Pecos and he doesn't foresee continued attacks.

"This is the first time in a while," he said. "To my knowledge, it's been years since the last bee attack."