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A passenger vehicle rear-ended a tractor-trailer hauling honeybees north on the Maine Turnpike between the Kennebunk and Biddeford exits on Tuesday.

The car was burning when crews arrived, but there were no serious injuries to anyone in either vehicle, according to a statement issued by Kennebunk Fire-Rescue.

Firefighters simulated a rainstorm to calm the bees, according to the statement.

“After extinguishing the vehicle we were requested to use a water stream using a rain down method to simulate a rain storm to calm down the agitated bees and get them to return to the hive,” according to the statement.

“No honeybees were harmed by our response,” according to the release.

Last Thursday, a tractor-trailer carrying 15 million bees rolled over on Interstate 95 in Clinton, injuring the driver of the truck but leaving the bees largely unharmed and contained, officials said.

Joe Lawlor writes about health and human services for the Press Herald. A 24-year newspaper veteran, Lawlor has worked in Ohio, Michigan and Virginia before relocating to Maine in 2013 to join the Press...

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