ST. PETERSBURG (AP) – Tampa Bay-area fighters not only had to fight fire – they had to battle 40,000 bees, too.

The Africanized bees lived in an 8-foot-tall hive in front of 66-year-old Robert Porter’s St. Petersburg home. Porter had ignored the bees for years.

Firefighters couldn’t ignore the bees Tuesday when Porter’s back porch caught fire. As the flames spread through the small house, the bees burst from their hive and tried to gather up their honey.

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue Capt. Bernie Williams ordered firefighters with bee allergies to get back from the blaze. A beekeeper was called to spray pesticide and remove the burned beehive.