A well-known Austin sculpture has been destroyed in a fire.
The Austin Fire Department (AFD) confirmed that the Pease Park troll sculpture burned to the ground early Thursday morning, KVUE reported.
AFD said it received a call shortly before 5:30 a.m. Thursday about a fire at the park. Crews arrived roughly five minutes later to North Lamar Boulevard but were unable to access the sculpture from that location.
Firefighters then moved to a different spot, where they "were able to extinguish the fire despite the site's limited access."
An investigation is currently underway, but the cause of the fire is unknown at this time.
The attraction, known as "Malin's Fountain," was created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo in 2024 with the help of 150 volunteers. The Pease Park Conservancy said in 2023 that it would fully fund the creation.
The sculpture, which stood at roughly 460 feet tall, was made mostly of recycled, found and repurposed materials, according to the Pease Park Conservancy's website. It was located near the Kingsbury Commons parking lot, not far from the Shoal Creek Trail.
"Malin's Fountain" was one of 100 trolls installed by Dambo across the globe since 2014, and the only one located in Texas. Others have been built in places including Chile, Hungary and South Korea.
According to Dambo's website, Austin's troll symbolized "the community's strength and ability to come together as one."
