Hobart park heritage tree ‘fenced off’ after overnight blaze

An overnight blaze at a Hobart park has destroyed homeless people’s belongings and damaged a heritage-listed tree. What council will do now.

Damage to the possessions of people experiencing homelessness and the Giant Sequoia in St David's Park.

Fire has destroyed homeless people’s belongings and singed a heritage-listed Giant Sequoia tree in Hobart’s St David’s Park overnight on Wednesday.

Emergency services were called to the area around 9pm where a fire had taken hold in a homeless encampment beneath one of the park’s two Giant Sequoia trees.

Damage to the possessions of people experiencing homelessness and the Giant Sequoia in St David's Park.

While the fire was quickly extinguished the cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

Damaged belongings remained strewn underneath the tree on Thursday.

The council said staff were working with the Salvation Army to support those who had been displaced by the fire.

Damage to the possessions of people experiencing homelessness and the Giant Sequoia in St David's Park.

“The city will also work with Tasmania Police,” City of Hobart Acting CEO Neil Noye said. “The tree has suffered some damage requiring city officers to fence the area off to public access to allow our arborists to start work on the rehabilitation of this tree immediately.”

Last year the council placed rocks under the same tree at St David’s Park, to allow it to recuperate.

Originally published as Hobart park heritage tree ‘fenced off’ after overnight blaze