An old-growth redwood often called the Pioneer Tree burned down Thursday in Samuel P. Taylor State Park.
Marin County Hearth Division Battalion Chief Bret McTigue mentioned Friday morning that the trigger stays underneath investigation.
McTigue mentioned fireplace crews had been dispatched to the park at 11:28 a.m. Thursday. The hearth was found by an off-duty parks officer.
Right here’s video of the Pioneer Tree shot by the Marin Municipal Water District earlier at the moment earlier than the tree collapsed. pic.twitter.com/YIqI33MCfV
— CA State Parks (@CAStateParks) March 24, 2022
When crews arrived, they discovered the fireplace burning within the tree and climbing upward.
One water tender, three engines and one battalion chief from the Marin County Hearth Division and one Cal Hearth crew had been tasked with combating the fireplace, which was contained inside the space of the tree.
McTigue mentioned crews had been within the space in a single day Thursday and Friday morning to mop up the aftermath of the blaze.
The tree is situated on the eponymous Pioneer Tree Path.
Based on the Samuel P. Taylor State Park web site, the path was briefly closed. It famous that the tree was “absolutely engulfed in flames” throughout the incident, however that the blaze was contained to a half-acre space. The report mentioned there have been no evacuations, impacted campers or accidents.
The hearth division mentioned the tree was 8 ft in diameter. It fell throughout the fireplace and created a burn space of 100 ft by 40 ft.
The Pioneer Tree was estimated to be roughly 500 years previous and was possible spared by loggers within the late 1800s as a result of it was hole. It was often called a roosting spot for bats.
A State Parks press launch mentioned the tree was roughly 200 ft tall and was one of many park’s few remaining previous development coastal redwoods. It was hollowed by earlier wildfires within the space, however its root system was nourished by youthful generations of redwoods.
“State Parks is devastated by the lack of this a lot beloved redwood tree,” mentioned California State Parks Director Armando Quintero, a San Rafael resident. “I noticed the collapsed tree in individual and know the way a lot it pains all of us who treasure these historical giants who've lived 1000's of years.”
Samuel P. Taylor State Park is on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard west of Lagunitas. It's named for Samuel Penfield Taylor, who bought 100 acres in western Marin County and based the primary paper mill on the west coast, the Pioneer Paper Mill Firm. The park was opened in 1946.