When it comes to tall trees, the Redwoods get all the attention, and with good reason. They are massive. Other trees, however, can also get absolutely huge, including a Douglas fir in Coos County, Oregon that was 99 meters (325 feet) tall.

This huge tree was one of the world’s largest non-Redwood trees, and was estimated to be between 450 and 500 years old.

Unfortunately, on August 16th it was discovered that the tree had caught on fire. Oddly, the fire started somewhere near the top of the tree. Normally, when a fire starts up high like this, it is caused by lightning, but the Bureau of Land Management has ruled that out as a possibility, leaving its origin a mystery.

As you can imagine, putting a fire out at the top of a tree that is over 300 feet tall is quite the challenge. Aircraft were brought in to drop water on the tree, and drones flew around watching for flame, smoke, and even measuring the temperature of different spots to help direct efforts.

By August 21st, it was believed that the fire was out, and it was determined that it was safe to have someone climb the tree to investigate further. Someone went up 85 meters (280 feet) and installed a sprinkler that could be used to further ensure the fire was out and combat any future issues, according to a post on Facebook by the Coos Forest Protective Association.

It was also found that the fire was still smoldering in a cavity of the tree, so that had to be addressed. Due to the sheer size of the tree and the efforts that had gone into it by this point, it was very unlikely that it would burn down.

Bureau of Land Management spokesperson, Megan Harper, told BBC News:

“We’ve lost about 50 ft [15 meters] of it, just from fire and pieces falling out. So I don’t know where it’ll stand after this, but it’s still a magnificent tree.”

It is incredible to think that a tree can lose as much as 50 feet from its height and remain taller than most trees that people in other parts of the world see.

An investigation is ongoing as to the cause of the fire, but as of now, there is no indication that it will be discovered.

If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about a quantum computer simulation that has “reversed time” and physics may never be the same.