Woman charged with burning old tree

LONGWOOD, Fla., Feb. 29 (UPI) -- A Florida woman has been charged with setting fire to a 3,500-year-old cypress tree known as The Senator, authorities said.

Sara Barnes, 26, of the Winter Park area allegedly took photos of the flames with her cellphone and told investigators she started the fire so she could see the drugs she was doing, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Barnes was arrested late Tuesday and jailed after being charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell and possession of drug paraphernalia, the Seminole County Sheriff's Office said. Another woman also was arrested on drug charges, the newspaper said.

The Senator, one of the largest cypress trees in the world, stood in Big Tree Park near Longwood. The tree, which was 188 feet tall and had a diameter of nearly 18 feet, was burned early on Jan. 16.