Thanks to reader John, who sent us photos and his encounter with a fire in a tree in the park over the weekend. Here’s what happened:

“Just wanted to share these photos from my run around Green Lake early on Saturday. At about 6:30 a.m. I was on my first of two laps of the lake and heard someone coughing in a large evergreen tree at the southeast end of the lake. I stopped briefly and considered asking the person to get out of there, but thought better of it and moved on. About 3/4 of the way around the lake I could see the tree erupt into an impressive flume. The center of the tree went up like a Roman candle. I got back to the tree at about 6:50 a.m. By that point it had mostly burned itself out. I called 9-1-1 but was told the fire department was already on the scene. I stayed (along with a few other lake walkers) long enough to ensure they actually found the tree and were able to put out the last of the hot spots. They had the fire out by about 7 AM.

Though I did not see the person, I am reasonably sure this was another of the illegal campers that have become so noticeable in the park in the early morning. It’s a shame to see people trashing the park, living in unsafe conditions, and threatening the safety of those who legally use the park each day. I hope we can get ahead of the problem in 2018 and help these folks find a better place to do what they are going to do… and hopefully while we still have some park left!”