Fire tears through ‘world’s largest’ tree house in minutes, Tennessee officials say
A tree house once called the “world’s largest” was ravaged by fire in just minutes, Tennessee officials say.
Minister’s Tree House burned to the ground soon after first responders reached the blaze in Cumberland County, the Crossville Chronicle wrote in a Facebook post.
Video from the newspaper shows flames leaping into the air after the structure collapsed.
Officials received a call about the rural fire Tuesday night and got it contained, Capt. Derek Carter of Cumberland County Fire/Rescue told McClatchy news group.
Before the wood structure was destroyed, it towered more than 90 feet over the Tennessee landscape, WATE reports. The landmark was built into seven trees, WBIR reports.
In 2012, minister Horace Burgess told the Knoxville News Sentinel “that God commanded him to build the sprawling tower as a means of ministry.” It took him almost two decades to construct it, the newspaper reports.
The structure at one time held a world record for the largest tree house, Business Insider reported.
The tree house was a tourist attraction before a fire marshal deemed it had “safety violations” and closed it to visitors about eight years ago, WBIR reports.
“The property it stood on had recently been purchased by a new owner, Glenn Clark, who said earlier this month he wouldn’t tear it down,” WBIR reports.
The cause of the fire is unknown, Carter said Wednesday morning. No injuries were reported, according to WATE.
Crossville is about 70 miles west of Knoxville.
This story was originally published October 23, 2019 at 9:15 AM with the headline "Fire tears through ‘world’s largest’ tree house in minutes, Tennessee officials say."
