A historic home at a world-leading fire research complex was consumed by a lightning fire on Tuesday and burnt to the ground.

The historic Beadel House, on the Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy complex near Tallahassee, Florida in the United States, was completely lost despite the efforts of the Tallahassee Fire Department. One firefighter was reportedly injured in the fire, according to station officials.

A severe storm caused a lightning strike on Beadel House, which contained many historical artefacts and four staff offices. Tall Timbers is a research, conservation and education organization focused on the role of fire and promoting prescribed burning.

The home was built in 1895 by Edward Beadel, a New York architect who frequented the area to hunt quail. The home’s second owner, Edward’s nephew Henry Beadel, was a naturalist who was one of the pioneers in popularizing the use of fire as a land management tool among European settlers of the U.S. Henry was also a noted nature photographer, and his photos were housed in the building.

Firefighters were able to remove a handful of artifacts before the home burned down, but the research station’s officials did not specify which artifacts were saved.

“If you would like to help Tall Timbers build back, online donations are open,” the research station posted on its website. “Your support will provide Tall Timbers with the funding to rebuild the facilities needed for our growing organization. For questions regarding giving please contact Development Director, Crystal Rice (850) 545-2162 or cdrice@talltimbers.org.”

The International Association of Wildland Fire’s 4th International Smoke Symposium, scheduled for March 23 – next week – at Tall Timbers, is in a different building and will continue as scheduled. The Association sent the following message to registered conference attendees:
 
This loss has shaken not only the Tall Timbers community, but the broader fire community as well. As we are gathering next week, we ask that you keep the Tall Timbers team in your thoughts as they navigate this difficult moment.
 
The event will continue as scheduled, and we appreciate your support, compassion, and solidarity during this time.