3,500-year-old cypress tree collapses after catching fire in Florida
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}One of the world's oldest cypress trees -- estimated to be 3,500 years old -- collapsed early Monday after catching fire in Seminole County, Fla.
The 119-foot-tall bald cypress -- known as "The Senator" -- reportedly went up in flames after a nearby brush fire spread to Big Tree Park in Longwood, Fox affiliate WOFL-TV reports.
Fire crews responded to the scene early Monday morning and deployed hundreds of feet of hose to battle the flames, according to the station.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Seminole County Fire Rescue team said the crew had to pull back from the fire at around 7:45 a.m. after a 20-foot section of the tree, including several branches, fell off.
Fire officials reportedly said the tree collapsed after burning from the inside out.
"It started with a brush fire," Seminole County Fire Rescue spokesman Steve Wright told the Orlando Sentinel. "The Senator was in the way. It was a casualty of the brush fire."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The historic tree stood at 165 feet before a hurricane destroyed its top in 1925.
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Fire destroys Big Tree Park’s The Senator tree: MyFoxORLANDO.com