{"id":305890,"date":"2026-05-23T12:47:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T12:47:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/305890\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T12:47:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T12:47:26","slug":"beloved-troll-statue-at-pease-park-in-austin-texas-burns-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/305890\/","title":{"rendered":"Beloved troll statue at Pease Park in Austin, Texas burns down"},"content":{"rendered":"

Austin, Texas’ giant troll statue, Malin’s Fountain, an icon at Pease Park, burned to the ground, the park announced in a Facebook post.<\/a><\/p>\n

“The troll sculpture in Pease Park was lost to a fire, and we are heartbroken alongside the community that cherished it,” the park stated in its post.<\/p>\n

The fire was reported on Thursday, May 21, at 5:30 a.m. CT, Tara Long, Austin Fire Department spokesperson, told USA TODAY in an email. First responders arrived at the scene at 5:35 a.m., but were unable to access the site of the fire. Crews relocated and extinguished the blaze, but Malin’s Fountain was lost.<\/p>\n

An active investigation is underway, according to Long, who did not state what could have caused the fire.<\/p>\n

More news: Where are California wildfires burning? See maps and air quality<\/a><\/p>\n

What was Malin’s Fountain?\"The<\/p>\n

The beloved statue, Malin’s Fountain, in Austin, Texas’ Pease Park Conservancy was destroyed in a fire on Thursday, May 21.<\/p>\n

Malin’s Fountain was a statue created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo<\/a>, according to Pease Park’s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“Malin is a female troll holding a bowl,” the park stated. “She reminds us that we should share water and resources with the animals that live here with us.”<\/p>\n

Around 80% of the fountain was made from materials that were recycled, repurposed or found, and was available for the public to visit via car, public transportation, biking or walking.<\/p>\n

Julia Gomez is a Trending reporter for USA TODAY and covers invasive species, space phenomena, scientific studies, natural disasters and trending news. Connect with her on\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>,\u00a0X<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>, and\u00a0TikTok<\/a>: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Troll statue Malin’s Fountain at Pease Park burns down in fire<\/a><\/p>\n