10/14/2026
Over the weekend we got a call from Hugo Fire Department. They had been controlling a burning tree throughout the day but couldn't get the core of the tree to stop burning. We got the tree on the ground, the fire was doused and the surrounding area was secured. Big thanks to the fire department for their trust in our team to safely open up the trunk and eliminate the hazard!
We don't know how the fire started but we know why it kept burning...
As a tree grows outward, its heartwood dies naturally and stops conducting water. Its main job is structural support. Fungi and bacteria often enter through wounds or broken branches and break down the core over time. Since a tree's vital pipeline for water and nutrients runs entirely through the outer living sapwood, a tree can lose its entire center, become completely hollow, and still look healthy and leafy on the outside.
The dead and often hollow heartwood creates a natural chimney. Air gets pulled up through openings in the trunk, continually feeding oxygen to the fire inside.
At the same time, the dense, thick sapwood acts like insulation, trapping heat inside the core. This creates an intense, self-sustaining burn that water sprays from the outside usually can't reach, requiring the tree to be safely dismantled so firefighters can directly douse the remaining embers.
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