EDITOR’S NOTE: This article contains images that may be upsetting to some readers.

COMANCHE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Emergency responders in Texas frequently receive bee-related calls, particularly during the hotter months, yet a recent fatal swarm caught them and a couple of horse owners off guard.

Baillie Hillman and James Ramirez of Comanche, Texas, recounted the “chaotic” fight to save their horses to Nexstar’s KTAB/KRBC.

It started on Friday, Hillman explained.

“Around 11, I stepped out to check on the horses and noticed they were still and not eating, which is unusual,” Hillman informed KTAB/KRBC.

It was then that Hillman noticed a swarm around the horses, which she described as an opaque “black cloud.”

Initially, she assumed it was a swarm of flies, another typical sight near horses. It was only when she neared the buzzing mass and was stung that Hillman realized it was something else entirely.

She returned inside to cover her exposed skin in whatever clothing she could find. After several unsuccessful attempts at getting the horses to move, she decided it was time to call her boyfriend and emergency services.

“Pulling in, it just looked like a black cloud over all the horses. I didn’t know what to think. I just knew I had to get them out of there. … I put my sunglasses on, tied a sweatshirt around my face and went to try to get the horses out,” Ramirez recounted.

Emergency Medical Services had arrived around the same time as Ramirez. Responders tended to Hillman’s stings as Ramirez worked to save their horses, and nothing was going to stop him from doing all he could.

“He even got struck on the top of the head. A horse hit him on top of his head, and he ran to the ambulance with blood running down his face, asking if he was good enough to go back out. The EMT said ‘I don’t think you need any stitches,’ so he put his hat back on and went back out,” Hillman recalled.

Shortly after Ramirez was struck, the Comanche Volunteer Fire Department arrived on scene.

CVFD administrative officer Shane Stalnacker said they had requested beekeeping suits from the nearby Guthrie Volunteer Fire Department, as well as bringing some dish soap that they could add to the water tank of the brush truck.

CVFD fire chief Jeffrey Jaccinto said Ramirez took one of the beekeeper suits and helped to calm and halter the horses while Stalnacker manned the brush truck hose.

The Comanche Volunteer Fire Department shared the below photos of emergency crews responding to the swarm.

“I put the dawn dish soap in the tank so we could provide the water and hopefully make enough foam to try to get the bees off the horses,” said Chief Jaccinto.

The forethought to bring dish soap belongs to Chief Stalnacker, who said his crew is used to responding to these kinds of calls during the hotter months.

“Maybe not to this extreme, but we deal with bee calls at least once a year, especially during the summer time,” Stalnacker said.

The soapy water proved effective in repelling and suffocating the swarm long enough for CVFD and Ramirez to get the horses to safety. However, over the next few hours, horses Ace and Clovis would succumb to their injuries. The last remaining horse, Pepper, was taken to a vet in Stephenville, though her outlook was poor.

She survived for only about 24 hours.

The photos below, shared by Hillman and Ramirez, were taken at the veterinarian’s office before Pepper’s passing.

“She had a trache [tracheotomy] in her throat because her face swelled up so much she couldn’t breathe, and she ended up having a seizure and dying, too, so we lost all three horses,” said Hillman.

Chief Jaccinto commended the couple for their quick action and bravery in their attempts to save their horses, adding that he is glad the loss of life did not include their own.

Ramirez and Hillman have been raising horses for many years, Hillman being an enthusiast and Ramirez competing in rodeo roping performances. They said it was beyond heartbreaking to see their beloved horses pass away in such a slow and painful manner.

“The horses were our best friends pretty much, so it was just tough losing them,” Ramirez said. They shared the below photos of Ace, Clovis, and Pepper with KTAB/KRBC.

“We wouldn’t wish it upon anyone,” added Hillman.

Since that day, the couple has had a tree removed and their land sprayed, and they are working to be more vigilant for areas in which hives may take hold.

Ramirez and Hillman advise others to be proactive about preventing bees from taking up residence on their own properties, as well as being prepared to call emergency services or veterinarians if an attack should occur.