Lightning Strike Burns Down Historic Building at Tall Timbers

By Regan McCarthy, WSFU News

A lightning strike during Monday morning’s severe weather caused a fire at Tall Timbers in Tallahassee. The blaze burned the historic Beadel House—including four staffers’ offices and artifacts from the organization’s history. Officials say the building, which was originally built in 1895, is a total loss. Brian Wiebler is the organization’s communications director. He says the fire won’t stop Tall Timbers’ mission.

“This is a group that has studied fire for many, many years, including lightning strike fire in our forests and the important role that it plays there. This is very sad to lose a structure like this, but we will continue to move forward with all of our existing projects,” Wiebler says.

Researchers have been studying fire ecology at Tall Timbers since the late 1950s, when a member of the Beadel family founded the organization. Weibler says the space has a strong history in the community.

“It’s been amazing to hear everybody’s stories coming out today and how much this place meant to people. That’s really touching that this place is so special for so many people. But I just try to remind myself and everybody else that the place of Tall Timbers is absolutely still there. We lost one structure, but the work will continue, and the knowledge that is being gained from the larger landscape of tall timbers carries forward.”

Tall Timbers studies land management and fire-dependent ecosystems, including the importance of controlled burns to reduce the risk of wildfire.