"It Hurts Deeply to Know It All Went Up in Smoke": Artist Responds After 18-Foot Troll Sculpture Burns Down in Austin Park

Danish artist Thomas Dambo, the creator of the beloved Texas troll sculpture "Malin's Fountain," has finally spoken out after the 18-foot-tall wooden troll was completely burnt down in an overnight fire.

"It took me a few days to process this," he wrote in an Instagram post. "It's really heartbreaking."

Malin's Fountain was installed at the Pease Park Conservancy in 2024 with the help of 150 Austin-based volunteers.

In a long message shared via Instagram, Dambo emphasized that the troll was "built with love alongside hundreds of people in Austin and became part of the community and the wonderful Pease Park she called home."

He wrote that his heart remains "heavy" over the loss, and hopes the fire was simply a tragic accident.

"I’ve received so many messages, photos, and videos since Thursday. Thank you so much for all the love for Malin. Thank you for the memorials, the flowers, the drawings, and all the photos you’ve shared. It truly means a lot," he wrote.

In a statement to Fox 7 and KUT News, the Austin Fire Department said it received a call on May 21, just before 5:30 a.m., reporting flames at Pease Park.

Photos circulating on social media showed the ground where the sculpture had stood covered in ash — the surrounding trees appeared undamaged.

As reported by the park's website, Malin was a "female troll," sitting while holding a bowl, which "reminds us that we should share water and resources with the animals that live here with us."

Dambo also said he valued the sculpture's interactive design — visitors had shared water with Malin "so she could help feed the animals during the really hot seasons"

"I was so proud to see the old water tower from the Pickle Research Campus, along with cedar roots donated by locals, recycled and given new life through her. It hurts deeply to know that it all went up in smoke," he added.

Allison Johnson, the park's director of community engagement, expressed similar views, stating:

"It was such a community-wide effort to gather the reused wood that helped to build her. So many volunteers were involved. It was such a community effort with lots of love, so we're very sad," she told KUT News.

She added that Dambo's team was "devastated."

" They're just sad and they said to send their love to Austin and the community and to our team that worked so hard on it," Johnson said.

A UT Austin student, Sheaffer Teague, told Fox 7 he had visited the sculpture regularly — "It was here last night. I touched it. It was there," he said.

"For all intents and purposes, it is not a living, breathing human person or anything, but it is, you know, part of me will miss it in kind of a like missing a childhood pet or something," Teague added.

According to the Pease Park Conservancy, the troll was made of 80% repurposed wood and material, with her hair made of ash juniper roots. She also wore a necklace of fossils and crystals, making the sculpture a distinctive representation of Central Texas culture and its natural environment.

While the Malin's Fountain fire is still under investigation, another troll by Dambo installed at The Giants of Mandurah exhibit in Australia was set on fire in 2022. It was later replaced with a new troll the next year.