79-year-old beekeeper's death under investigation in White Settlement after fire

WHITE SETTLEMENT, Texas - A 79-year-old beekeeper was killed Wednesday in a fire in White Settlement.

Police say the man was harvesting honey at a home on Vaquero Street when a fire broke out in a building behind the house around 10:15 a.m. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.

Police say the man was dead at the scene, but the cause of death is unknown at this time.

"We haven't ruled out the possibility that the man could have been overwhelmed by the bees, which could have caused a medical reaction that caused him to fall or that the man suffered a medical condition which caused him to fall in the beehive area," said White Settlement Police Chief Chris Cook. 

Investigators are not sure if the man suffered a medical emergency while tending to the bees or if the bees swarmed the man prior to the fire.

A witness told police that the man likely used a bee smoker while collecting the honey. Police believe it is possible that the device, which has a fire chamber, could have fallen and started the fire.

Aggressive bees in the area are temporarily prevented the medical examiner from retrieving the body. Beekeepers had to be called in to gather the bees.

Neighbor Talamal Lewis heard about what happened from his wife. 

"She called me, and she told me what she’d seen that he was in the yard. He was out here dealing with his bees like he always usually does. He had some type of chemical or something when he spilled it," he said. "The bees went to stinging him, and she said she doesn’t know where the fire came from. It just ignited." 

A neighbor said the victim has lived there for more than 50 years. She said he served in the military, and he and his wife both enjoyed beekeeping. 

A police officer and two firefighters were stung but are expected to be okay.

The man's name will be released once the next of kin are notified.