A hiker trapped on Camelback Mountain was stung 120 times by bees even as Phoenix Fire Department rescue crews worked more than three hours Friday afternoon to help him off a precipice.
The rescue was the first of two on the mountain Friday, said Fire Capt. Alex Rangel, a department spokesman.
The man, described as in his mid-50s, was hiking an off-trail, free-climbing route but went astray when a swarm of bees attacked. Rangel said that the man ended up trapped on a ledge while trying to escape.
Bees continued to sting him even as crews worked to help him off the precipice, about 200 to 300 feet above the mountain’s base, Rangel said.
After almost 3½ hours, the man was hoisted to safety. He was sent to a nearby hospital for treatment.
While mountain rescue teams were tending to the first climber, a