One Of The World's Oldest And Tallest Trees Just Lost 15 Meters In Height Due To "Mysterious" Fire

In a remote area of Coos County, Oregon, a mighty Douglas fir is burning. The tree, known as the Doerner fir, is thought to be between 450 to 500 years old and has lost about 15 meters (50 feet) in height since the fire started on August 16.

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The tree previously stood at 99 meters tall (325 feet) – making it one of the world's tallest non-redwood trees – before the blaze began. It is still unclear what started the fire, though officials from the Bureau of Land Management have ruled out lightning. The Doerner fir is the only tree ablaze in the area.

To put the fire out is no small feat, with aircraft enlisted to drop water onto the tree, and drones used to monitor the situation. The remote location of the tree has created another challenge in enabling access for fire crews. 

On August 21, the team believed the tree was safe to climb, ascending 85 meters (280 feet) up the trunk and installing a sprinkler, the Coos Forest Protective Association shared in an update posted to Facebook. While a drone had previously found no remaining active flames or smoke at the top of the tree, heat had been detected in this part of the trunk, and fire was found to be burning a cavity into the tree.

Given the mass of the tree, the team is confident that the fir will not burn down completely. The investigation into the cause of the fire is still ongoing.

"We've lost about 50 ft [15 meters] of it, just from fire and pieces falling out," Bureau of Land Management spokesperson Megan Harper told BBC News of the tree. "So I don't know where it'll stand after this, but it's still a magnificent tree."

"Visitors should be aware that the area will be closed to public use at this time due to active fire and firefighting efforts," said the Coos Forest Protective Association in another update.