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Toomer's Oaks on Fire


BigWhiskey91

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The Auburn Fire Division extinguished the flames after a few minutes.

The extent of the damage to the area or the trees is not yet known.

The fire comes only weeks after the University announced fans could resume rolling the new trees — which were planted in February 2015 — for the first time this season. The original trees were poisoned by Harvey Updyke in 2011.

http://www.theplainsman.com/article/2016/09/toomers-oak-catches-fire?_h=b0212c23-43b4-4b77-b5cf-e2d91e0b82c3p

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Auburn Fire Department Station 1 Battalion Chief Dow Sport told the Opelika-Auburn News that the call was received at 12:16 a.m. and the station responded at 12:17 a.m. The department was on scene for 30 minutes and there were no reported injuries.

“(When we responded) it was fully engulfed all the way to the top, a lot of toilet paper was on fire on the ground,” Sport said. “We soaked the whole area down.”

Sport said that the tree was intact, and though it was night and hard to see clearly, there was significant singing to the tree.

http://www.oanow.com/sports/college/auburn/football/one-of-toomer-s-oaks-set-on-fire-after-auburn/article_86ab0a32-82e5-11e6-ac1c-6b017e6243f7.html

 

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2 minutes ago, Charhair said:

The title really scared me 

LSU in town

burning 

toomers

Well the oaks were on fire. Someone lit the TP and it caught the whole thing on fire... hopefully this doesn't have lasting effects on the tree!

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3 minutes ago, FullBloodedTiger91 said:

Well the oaks were on fire. Someone lit the TP and it caught the whole thing on fire... hopefully this doesn't have lasting effects on the tree!

Ah, the second picture wasn't up when I first viewed it. I only saw the "inadvertently set toomers oaks on fire" 

the second one confirms my original beliefs :/ 

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Hardly inadvertent. However, the tree is likely just fine.  Trees deal well with fire when it's brief like this.  That said, find the SOB that did this and arrest him.

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3 minutes ago, jared52 said:

Seems the buzz on the tweets is it was a drunk AU fan waving a match around. What a dummy.

Well, based on WarBlogEagle's shared video above, I'd say that the buzz is wrong. That was purposeful. 

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I was up there tonight and the thought crossed my mind that somebody could do a lot of damage.  I hope they find out who it was.  I have to say, all the LSU fans I saw tonight we're really nice and well behaved.  I was shocked at how nice they were, honestly. 

I hope and pray this doesn't kill the trees.  They just need to put guards in the trees, I guess.  

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6 minutes ago, Ber798297 said:

Some are reporting on Twitter that they caught the guy.  No confirmation yet

I hope so.  From what I understand this is not the first time the Toomer oaks have been set on fire.  It has happened several times over the years.  The other oaks were able to survive the fires until their demise at the hands of bummer fan Updyke. I'm not sure how this can be prevented other than to have police stand around it.  However, police can't stand there all night.  It is sad that there are people in the world that are either hateful or stupid or both and would do such a thing. 

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Say's in this article since they are young something like this / fire at this point could be devastating to the young tree?

 

http://auburn.247sports.com/Bolt/Oak-tree-set-on-fire-at-Toomers-Corner-in-Auburn-47759116

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40 minutes ago, JGLEATON said:

Say's in this article since they are young something like this / fire at this point could be devastating to the young tree?

 

http://auburn.247sports.com/Bolt/Oak-tree-set-on-fire-at-Toomers-Corner-in-Auburn-47759116

 

Quick fires don't do much actual damage to trees. Ever seen a controlled burn to clear out scrub and brush in a hardwood or pinewood forest? Basically, thermal mass is the savior, along with all the water that's stored in the trunk. The outside of the tree may be scorched and the foliage may be burned away but the tree will come back. The Toomer's Oaks may not be huge but they are also not saplings. A quick fire just does not have the time of energy to do much damage beyond the "skin" of the tree.

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According to an Auburn horticultural expert a few weeks ago, "a fire would be devestating to the trees at this point as they are still taking root".  Sounded to me like even this "small" fire has probably done a lot of damage. 

I read last night that it was an LSU fan and that he'd been arrested.  If this is the case, he should be made to pay for any and all damages and/or costs of replacing the tree.  But, of course, how long will we have to wait to enjoy our tradition again because of one disgusting individual? This just makes me sick! 

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Almost 50 years after sending a man to the moon we can't keep some of our most beloved Auburn treasures safe? We can't afford (e.g.) security personnel (especially after a game like this!) at 1:30am? Unacceptable IMO.

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Saw the news, and checked out the webcam @ Toomer's . Photos look terrible, but it doesn't appear to be all that bad.  Looks like folks rolled it some more, after the fire was put out ? 

I'm just glad it wasn't both trees, or worse. 

And I'm also glad they caught the punk a-idiot. AU student or not, he needs to be banned from setting foot in Lee County for life. 

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I just watched the security cameras.  The guy should be charged with an act of terrorism.  He put all those people's lives at risk and knew exactly what he was doing.

To that lady chasing and trying to hold him as he made a run for it and the guy trying to put out the fire as soon as he saw it, I give you a BIG War Eagle!.

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