Woman dies from fire ant attack 1 day after her mother died

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Birmingham, Ala. • Authorities and relatives say an Alabama woman standing atop a hay bale was attacked by fire ants and died the day after her mother died.

A joint funeral was held Thursday in Selma for the women, 29-year-old Kalyn Rolan and 53-year-old Roberta Lynn Duke, both of Prattville.

Rolan's mother-in-law, Sheila Rolan, says Duke had died of lung disease and the younger woman was in rural Dallas County making funeral arrangements on May 20 when fire ants in the hay bale attacked her.

District Attorney Michael Jackson says his office ordered an autopsy, but it appears Kalyn Rolan died of an extreme allergic reaction.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 90 to 100 people die annually in the United States from insect bites.