Ancient Glastonbury oak tree known as Gog damaged in fire

An ancient oak tree in Glastonbury known as Gog has been damaged in a fire that may have been caused by a lit candle or incense stick.

Firefighters tackled the spectacular blaze and managed to save Gog, which was already dead, and made sure the flames did not spread to its twin tree, Magog.

The two trees are known as the oaks of Avalon – an ancient name for Glastonbury – and are a place of pilgrimage for many visitors.

Jill Barker, who owns the nearby Middlewick holiday cottages, said: “Maybe someone was burning a candle or incense there.

“We just rushed out when someone told us it was on fire. They put so much foam on there, which looks like it helped stop it spreading. We are really, really lucky the fire just stayed in the tree.”

She posted video of the blaze on Facebook and images of it on Thursday with the reassuring message: “Still standing after burning for three hours. Made of hard stuff this tree. They have to look at it today to figure out if it is safe to stay up. Hopefully it is still structurally sound.”

According to the Glastonbury Pilgrim Reception Centre, Gog and Magog are thought by some to be a traditional point of entry to Glastonbury and part of a ceremonial druidic avenue of oak trees running towards the Tor and beyond.

The centre says this avenue was cut down around 1906 to clear the ground for a farm, but a timberyard worker remembers one of the oaks being 11ft (3.5m) in diameter and more than 2,000 season rings were counted.

In 2010 another beloved Glastonbury tree – the Glastonbury Thorn – was felled by vandals. It was said to have flowered on Wearyall Hill every Christmas Day for 2,000 years, since Joseph of Arimathea thrust the staff he brought from the Holy Land into the soil and it miraculously broke into blossom.

The cause of the Gog fire is not known, although the fire service believes it to have been accidental.

Devon and Somerset fire and rescue service said: “We were called at 9.10pm to Wick Lane where some oak trees were on fire outside the campsite.

“It was quite a large tree, around 10m tall. Once the fire was out we damped down the area to prevent it from reigniting. Staff from the camp also handed out fire extinguishers to put outside the tents. The cause of the fire was deemed to be accidental.”