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Palm Tree Blazes Baffle Texas Officials

By Will McCahill,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 3, 2009 6:17 PM CDT
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(Newser) – Officials in the coastal Texas town of Galveston are baffled by a series of arson fires targeting palm trees, the Houston Chronicle reports. “This is strange,” the town’s fire marshal says of the spree, which has hit 30 trees since May. “It’s the first case in my experience dealing with a tree arsonist.”

Officials say they don’t see a geographical pattern in the nearly nightly blazes, which are taking down one of the few species of trees that survived the wash of salt water brought by last fall’s Hurricane Ike. “They are the only ones that really made it, and somebody wants to go around and burn them up,” says one local. “It’s really pathetic.”

Palm trees blow in the winds from Hurricane Ike, Sept. 13, 2008, in Galveston, Texas.
Palm trees blow in the winds from Hurricane Ike, Sept. 13, 2008, in Galveston, Texas.   (AP Photo)
Palm trees burn during last month's wildfire near Santa Barbara, Calif.
Palm trees burn during last month's wildfire near Santa Barbara, Calif.   (AP Photo)
Palm trees burn during last month's wildfire near Santa Barbara, Calif.
Palm trees burn during last month's wildfire near Santa Barbara, Calif.   (AP Photo)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 11 comments
riffran
Jul 5, 2009 12:18 PM CDT
your mother is a republican...lmao....
riffran
Jul 4, 2009 12:09 PM CDT
no don't shoot them...put them in one of the burning trees..."welcome to the party"....lol.....why would they want to do this?....leave the damn trees alone
Mad
Jul 4, 2009 6:40 AM CDT
C'mon.... You said "your" on purpose, right? I mean, nobody, not even riffran, is that stupid. Unless you voted for Bush twice, then maybe you are, indeed, that stupid

 
Texas • crime • arson • Galveston • fire • palm tree • Hurricane Ike

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