April 23, 2007 -- A large bee hive in Central El Paso was disturbed by workers on Monday, which prompted bees to attack people near by.

The bee hive, inside an old, is about 2 feet wide and 3 feet tall and judging by the size, it's been there for a long time. On Monday, the noise made by workers demolishing the building aggravated the bees.

"They antagonized the bees and they came after everybody and for awhile they were strong," said Tony Cuaron, a business owner next door.

Cuaron said the bees scared off some of his customers.

"Two customers we had here and they got them, they left immediately, they ran to their cars," said Cuaron.

Fire fighters also were stung.

"We got out of the rig and as soon as we got out the bees were already agitated and started attacking us," said Capt. George Garcia with the El Paso Fire Department.

Each fire fighter was stung more than once and had to move away from the area. Fire fighters told everyone to stay in doors while they called an attack unit.

"They said they hit the beehive, the foam suffocates them and kills them. I don't know if they got the queen or not, but it did kill a lot of bees," said Garcia.

Fire officials said spring is the season when you'll see bees more often. Experts caution that people should not aggravate bees, which will attack when provocked.

If you have a beehive in your property it is best to call a pest control company.

If bees are attacking, then you should call 911.