Courtesy: Leanne TauntonBIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC) -
Auburn University's famous Toomer's Corner oaks are once again the scene of an odd event.
Last
night, some toilet paper left on the trees caught fire. It happened at
about 3:30 a.m. Sunday. Local firefighters put out the blaze quickly and
no injuries were reported.
Auburn University's "Trees Task Force"
examined the trees Monday morning and say there was "significant
damage" to both oaks and several plants near the plaza. The trunks of both trees are black with soot, and several leaves at the base of the oaks are singed and burned.
It's
not clear how, or why, the toilet paper started burning. Fans rolled
the trees after Auburn's win against Alabama A&M. Police are
reviewing video of the incident to try to determine if the fire was set
intentionally.
This isn't the first time there has been a fire at
the iconic corner. Captain Tom Stofer said fires have happened
accidentally when someone dropped a cigarette and there have also been
times when the flames were criminal in nature.
In January of
2011, Harvey Updyke, an avid Alabama football fan, admitted to a
Birmingham radio show host to poisoning the trees after Auburn won the
BCS National Championship.
Updyke's trial was originally set to
start last June. The trial was delayed when Updyke confessed to
poisoning the trees to a reporter outside the courtroom.
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