Speaking with the Huffington Post, Pasadena Fire Department spokesperson Lisa Derderian said, “The call over the radio was, ‘There is a block-long swarm of bees.” A local beekeeper estimated that that the swarm contained about 20,000 but other reports put the number as high as 40,000. They had likely gotten upset by the smoke from a nearby fire and unleashed their ire on frightened firefighters like Matthew Busko. They attacked firemen on ladders and cops on the ground. People got stung as many as 15 times in the face.

Though Busko screamed frantically, he couldn’t silence his inner hero. His engineer was allergic to bees, so instead of running back to the firetruck to burn rubber, he tried to fight flyers with his fire hat. When that proved about as effective as fighting fire with a gasoline hose, Busko bolted like Usain. A block later he was still under fire from the swarm. He ultimately won the race for his life, crossing the finish line at the hospital. He wasn’t alone. At least five people needed hospital treatment, including a second firefighter and a police officer.

It might sound like the humans got the raw end of this honeybee assault, but that swarm of literal buzzkills arguably had it worse. PBS explains that a honeybee can only sting you once because its abdominal dagger is firmly attached to its innards. This barbed blade functions like an animal-bite-sized harpoon, getting lodged into whomever’s stuck. Once the honeybee has gone full Ahab and stabbed at thee from hell’s heart, it rips out its own guts and bleeds to death.