"The Senator," 3500 yr old Cypress Tree burns down in Florida

I actually heard about this through my mom this morning when we were discussing the oldest Oak tree in the county that is in my back yard.

The Senator a 3500 yr old Cypress tree in Central Florida has burned down. Cause is yet unknown but preliminary reports say it's arson This makes me sad. I remember visiting this tree as a kid. Everyone locked arms to hug the tree

Firefighters say one of the world’s oldest cypress trees has caught fire and collapsed in central Florida.

It’s unknown what caused a 118-foot-tall bald cypress tree named “The Senator” to catch fire early Monday.

Seminole County Fire Rescue spokesman Steve Wright tells the Orlando Sentinel the tree burned for several hours from the inside out.

Firefighters arrived around 5:50 a.m. and pulled more than 800 feet of hose through the woods to the fire. Wright says a 20-foot section of the tree fell off around 7:45 a.m., and the tree collapsed a half-hour later.

According to the county’s parks and preservation department, “The Senator” was roughly 3,500 years old.

Parks officials say the tree reached a height of 165 feet before a 1925 hurricane lopped off its top.

The Senator

Here is a link to a video on CNN The Senator

According to the news they believe it was done by arsonists since the fire apparently started at the top of the tree. It's in the middle of the woods so access isn't all that easy either.

Seminole County Fire Rescue investigators said arson is suspected because a pile of twigs was found at the base of the tree and there have not been any recent lightning strikes in the area. Also, no power lines are located nearby.

Why anyone in the world would do this is just sickening. This tree has been here for 3500 yrs approx. What an amazing life this tree had. Imagine what it has seen and been through. It's sad to think someone could do something like this but then again it doesnt surprise me.

There use to be one of the oldest Fig trees in Florida in MY front yard and one of the previous tenants said it blocked his view so he torched it! He was caught by police while trying to torch the Oak Tree in the back yard.....What would possess someone to do such a thing?

More links:
The Senator Falls
Senator Burns Down

Well apparently there is a thread...I even looked. WTH.

Well I have pics and I live by it and have visited it...

Do what you will mods with it.

This made me sick. I live in Florida and was planning on visiting it this summer. If it turns out to be arson I'm going to snap.

Yeah it's sad for people to vandalize and destroy ancient things. I live by Petit Jean State Park in arkansas and last year some local teengers snuck out to rock house cave where pre-historic peoples from the neolithic era made their home and made cave paintings on the wall and those teenagers took cans of spray paint and painted over the 8000 year old cave paintings and every archeaologist within 100 miles is extremely pissed. The rangers are talking about no longer allowing access to areas of the park to the public because of it.

Just another case where some moron with a can of spray paint out to make mischief ruins it for everyone else.

D@mn arsonists! They just can't do anything good. what a waste. this tree is ancient! it's even older than Christ himself.

Sorry Mblah, this is already posted here - www.abovetopsecret.com...

Please add to ongoing discussion there.
Thank you.