Last January, I wrote about the burning of a tree name the Senator. It was believed to be the fifth oldest tree in the world. My family was saddened by the loss of this 3500 year old tree. But we were probably more struck by the odd coincidence that we had visited the Senator just hours before it burned down. The fire department had ruled out arson and thought that it might have been set by a burning ember from a lighting storm a few weeks earlier. The official reason did not make much sense to me, but I believed it. Any other alternate reason would sadden me too much. If nature had decided to end the tree's life, then so be it. But if a person had deliberately set the fire, then that would be infinitely worse. I'm saddened to say that the fire was not created by nature. Here is an update on the destruction of the Senator:
A 26 year old woman named Sara Barnes was arrested in connection with the burning of the Senator. She admits to burning down the tree. Apparently, she would spend many nights in the park doing drugs. On the night of the fire, she and an unidentified person needed light in order to better see their drugs. So they decided to make a fire by the tree. Barnes took video footage with her cell phone as the fire quickly spread up the tree. Why didn't she use her phone to call 911 instead of wasting valuable time taking pictures? If she had, maybe the Senator would still be here. There are many people outraged with Barnes right now. They are posting violent remarks toward Barnes in the media. I won't do that. But you can imagine what I am thinking.
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The Senator
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