LONGWOOD, Fla. — Firefighters say one of the world’s oldest cypress trees caught fire and collapsed in central Florida.
The 118-foot-tall bald cypress tree named “The Senator” burned early today. Mike Martin of the state Division of Forestry tells the Orlando Sentinel that arson may be to blame.
Additional Photos
Seminole County Fire Rescue spokesman Steve Wright says the tree burned for several hours.
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 top fell off first and then the tree collapsed.
The county parks department says ring samples showed the tree was roughly 3,500 years old.
The tree was named for a 1920s state senator who donated what is now Big Tree Park to the county.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.