'Whole body was burning': Tempe bee attack victim recounts terrifying ordeal

Tempe bee attack victim recounts what happened

We're learning more about a bee attack last week in Tempe. The fire department reported at least four people were hospitalized, each stung up to 15 times. One victim, just released from the hospital, told FOX 10's Taylor Wirtz it was much worse than that.

TEMPE, Ariz. - We're learning more about a bee attack on July 17 in Tempe.

The fire department reported at least four people went to the hospital, each stung up to 15 times. But a victim just released from the hospital says it was much worse than that.

The backstory:

What started as an ordinary walk to a Tempe Dollar Tree near Baseline and Kyrene roads for Joseph Ramirez and his family turned terrifying.

"It was just a regular day. We went to the store to get some snacks, and we took our dog for a walk," Joseph Ramirez said. "I remember seeing a couple bees, and I didn't think nothing of it."

Joseph Ramirez

Things quickly turned into a horror movie.

"As I'm turning around, I guess I hit the bees. I get swarmed by over 50 bees, and I'm trying to breathe because they're all over my face. I swallowed one, actually," Ramirez said.

Ramirez, who uses a wheelchair, was covered in bees.

"I’m very vulnerable in that moment. I couldn’t even help myself," he said. "I don't even know how to get them off me because I'm trying to … I’m throwing them, but they just keep coming right back."

Several people hurt in Tempe bee attack

A bee attack sent four people to the hospital on Thursday afternoon. The attack happened outside a Tempe Dollar Tree after nearby landscapers reportedly disturbed a beehive.

Dig deeper:

His daughters, Julie and Vali, were his main concern. "My daughters were actually running across the street. So I'm in the moment trying to make sure they're not getting hit by a car because it's a crazy intersection," he said.

Joseph Ramirez and his daughters Vali and Julie with their dog Peanut

‘My whole body was burning’

The girls made it across the street, but they, too, were attacked.

"It felt like someone was stabbing me with a knife," Vali Ramirez said. Their dog, Peanut, was also stung, and he's OK.

"To me, it just felt burning, like my whole body was burning, my head was burning, everything was burning," he said.

The family made it to the Dollar Tree, where staff called an ambulance.

Witnesses said the swarm came from landscapers working at an apartment complex west of the store who disturbed a beehive. Ramirez believes they should have been more careful.

"I just feel like they should have like, you know, had a sign up or something, you know, some protocol because it could have been prevented, and we could have been really like hurt. And I was in the hospital for three days, so I really was," he said.

When he arrived at the hospital, Ramirez said doctors told him he was close to having a heart attack and would need to be on medication for some time. With that in mind, friends are trying to raise money to get him a wheelchair-compatible car.

What you can do:

If you would like to donate to the family to help them purchase a wheelchair-compatible car, you can click here to view their GoFundMe.

Click here for tips on how to protect yourself during a bee attack.