Massive tree falls in Pittsburgh's Manchester neighborhood, releases swarms of bees

Pittsburgh Public Works crews spent part of Tuesday cleaning up a mess in the city's Manchester neighborhood after a massive tree came down around 4 a.m.

However, tree cleanup created a series of other problems.

The tree damaged wires, buildings and even crushed a few cars. But it also released thousands of stinging insects, making an already difficult cleanup even more challenging.

"All of a sudden, we heard this tremendous noise. We couldn't tell which way it came from. Lights went out immediately," Manchester resident Edward Seftas said.

Seftas took pictures of what he saw. A massive oak tree snapped at its base, tumbled down onto the street and caused damage.

A few vehicles suffered significant damage. Downed wires also created hazards. The weight of the tree snapped a utility pole the wires were attached to.

Then, bees emerged from the tree.

"When the first branch fell off, there was a beehive in there," Seftas said.

The tree actually had multiple colonies. By mid-morning, bees continued to fly around as city workers did their best to cut the tree without getting stung or agitating the hives any further.

With power out to multiple customers, Duquesne Light crews also had their hands full, tasked with untangling the multiple fallen wires, some of which were ripped from buildings. 

As for the bees, their collective fate was still being determined. Meanwhile, Seftas told KDKA-TV that he's not surprised by the incident.

"It finally happened. That tree was old, and it just looked rotted," he said.