What looked like an ordinary tree along the northern edge of Golden Gate Park turned into an all-day, inside-the-trunk fire fight on Tuesday, keeping San Francisco firefighters and a city arborist busy for nearly nine hours.
Crews converged on the Fulton Street area near Fourth Avenue, surrounding one badly burning tree with hoses and bright scene lights as they tried to reach the smoldering core. The blaze, hidden inside the trunk, held on into the late evening and demanded specialized tree work to finally put it out.
The San Francisco Fire Department was called to Fulton Street and Fourth Avenue at 2:53 PM, Lt. Mariano Elias said, and crews “remained on scene until nearly midnight.” “A fire started at the base of the tree, got into the trunk system and continued burning inside,” Elias told the San Francisco Chronicle. The cause remained under review and officials had not said whether arson was suspected, the paper added.
Arborist Cuts Tree Open To Reach Hidden Hot Spots
The city's Recreation and Park Department sent an arborist to cut into the trunk so firefighters could reach the burning interior and douse it, and the badly charred tree was removed Wednesday morning, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Tamara Barak Aparton, the department’s deputy director of communications and public affairs, confirmed the fire happened inside the park, the paper said. For background on the agency that assisted at the scene, see the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department.
Why Fires Inside Tree Trunks Can Smolder For Hours
Fires that burn inside hollow or decayed trunk sections can be insulated from water, allowing embers to smolder for hours before flames finally show on the outside. That is why fire crews often team up with arborists to open up the wood and remove burning material, rather than relying solely on hose streams, a practice noted by tree care experts. The International Society of Arboriculture's public site TreesAreGood highlights that professional arborists assess structural decay and safety when deciding how to intervene.
Parkgoers who notice smoke or flames in trees are urged to call 911 so crews can move in quickly. Fast reporting helps firefighters track down and extinguish hidden, smoldering fires before they spread, and Tuesday’s incident is a reminder that even mature, solid-looking trees can conceal serious internal decay and embers that need a specialized response.
