The Senator was a Florida landmark. The massive cypress tree stood an impressive 165 feet tall at one point, and was over 3500 years old. Then, in 1925, a hurricane took off the top of the ancient tree. Now, The Senator may be gone for good. Seminole County firefighters in Longwood, Florida fought to save the Senator, but the 3500-year-old tree was consumed by fire on Monday.
The tree, which was hollow, burned from the inside out. It’s as if the hollow tree itself was acting like a chimney, said Seminole County Fire Rescue spokesman Steve Wright. By the time firefighters were able to get the tree out–which took several hours–there was only about 20 to 25 feet of the ancient tree left. Given the extensive damage, odds are that will come down sooner or later. Like Anne Frank’s Chestnut tree, nothing lasts forever (except Pando the 80,000-year-old quaking aspen).
Arson is not suspected.
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