AUBURN, AL (WTVM) -
The night sky lit up in Auburn early Saturday morning and it was not the stars bursting in air. Flames burned through much of what's left of the beloved Toomer's Corner Oak trees.
Every person we talked to said their beloved oaks couldn't seem to catch a break. Flames ripped through the fragile branches, burning to a crisp the toilet paper intertwining its leaves.
"The fire was quickly extinguished no injuries were reported," said Lieutenant Cedric Anderson with the Auburn Police Department.
As usual the 100 year-old Oaks were rolled after the Auburn Tiger's victory against the Alabama A&M Bulldogs Saturday night; in the wee hours of the morning a call came in.
"At approximately 3:15 a.m., the Auburn Public Safety Department responded to the area of Toomer's corner in reference to a [sic] fire," Lieutenant Anderson said.
Anderson said the fire was not as bad as it looked and the tissue took most of the damage. 2008 graduate Shaheli Naley says although the fire seemed small, the trees being a target of vandals is a big problem.
"I think that's so malicious. I just think it's crazy. Why would you do something to a tree? Do you have so much hatred in your heart that you'd want to damage a tree that's been tradition in Auburn history since forever," Naley said.
We also spoke with Battalion Chief Dow Sport. He said it took a crew of about 10 firemen to put out the blaze in about 30 minutes.
Sport said this is not out of the ordinary, "We get called about this at least once a year". The cause of the fire is still unknown.
"Somebody have to have seen this happen. This was after a game on a Saturday, at a college campus. I feel somebody should've seen whoever did it," said Naley.
Investigators said they do not want to speculate on what or who could've caused this fire.
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Courtesy: Leanne Taunton
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