A 79-year-old beekeeper in White Settlement, Texas, was killed while harvesting honey Wednesday morning, police say.
The man was gathering honey at a house on Vaquero Street, when a building behind the house went up in flames, according to FOX 4 Dallas. The fire broke out at around 10:15 a.m.
“The homeowner was tending to his bees to harvest honey when a fire started and the man was pronounced deceased at the scene,” White Settlement Police Chief Christopher Cook tweeted.
Police did not release a cause of death for the victim.
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Authorities needed a beekeeper to arrive on the scene to control the swarming honey bees. Cook confirmed that three first responders were hurt by the insects, but they did not incur life-threatening injuries.
“A local beekeeper has arrived to assist with the swarming bees. One police officer and two firefighters were stung but will be okay,” Cook stated.
“Case remains under investigation,” he added.
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The identity of the victim has not been released by authorities.
White Settlement Police Department is actively investigating the situation. There are no additional details at this time.