Thomas Dambo’s Malin Troll Sculpture Destroyed in Early Morning Fire at Pease Park

The 18-foot-tall troll sculpture, Malin, at Pease Park burned to the ground early Thursday morning, leaving behind ash and debris where the beloved public artwork stood for just over two years.

According to Austin Fire Department officials, crews received a call reporting flames at the park shortly before 5:30 a.m. Firefighters arrived to find the sculpture already heavily engulfed.

“AFD arrived sometime around 5:50, so maybe a little bit before then and found the troll on fire and had been burned pretty much by the time they arrived,” said Bret Kiester, director of park operations for the Pease Park Conservancy.

The cause of the fire remains unknown. An Austin Fire Department investigation is ongoing, and an arson investigation team was on scene by late Thursday morning.

Pease Park Conservancy staff sifted through ash and rubble Thursday, sorting through what materials could be salvaged. Visitors stopped to leave flowers and pay their respects at the site.

A symbol of sharing and stewardship

“We’re just kind of sorting through some of the things they want to keep, and then we’ll have urban forestry come out and take a look at the trees that are in the area and then we’ll get everything cleaned up before we reopen the space,” Kiester said.

Kiester described the loss as deeply felt by the park community.

“I’m sad, it’s very sad,” he said.

Created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo with the help of roughly 150 Austin-based volunteers, “Malin’s Fountain” was installed in March 2024 as part of Dambo’s international series of large-scale troll sculptures made primarily from recycled materials. The artist has created more than 100 troll installations in over a dozen countries.

According to the Pease Park Conservancy, Malin was designed to symbolize the importance of sharing resources and caring for the natural world. The sculpture depicted a female troll holding a bowl intended to collect water for wildlife.

“For us and the way we talk about it in our field trips, we bring kids out here and stuff, as we’d say, Malin teaches us to share resources,” Kiester said. “We talk about how she was made out of like 85% recycled material and what that means to reuse things. She’s our protective force. She teaches us to share resources.”

Malin’s legacy in Pease Park

Dambo said he was devastated to learn of the loss of the sculpture, which was created with the help of Austin volunteers and designed with reused local materials.

“I’m saddened and shocked by the news,” Dambo said in a statement to TRIBEZA. “Malin was built with love alongside hundreds of people in Austin. She belonged to the community and to the wonderful Pease Park she called home.”

He said seeing local materials transformed into the sculpture had been one of the most meaningful parts of the project.

“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,” he said. “It hurts deeply to hear that it all went up in smoke.”

Dambo said he is still processing the loss and said it is too early to determine whether another sculpture could take its place.

“My heart is heavy as I process everything and await more information,” he said. “It’s still too early to say what comes next. For now, I’m sending my love to everyone in Austin.”

According to the Pease Park Conservancy’s website, the sculpture had been expected to last approximately 15 years.

This is not the first time one of Dambo’s works has been destroyed by fire. In 2022, a troll sculpture in Australia was intentionally set on fire by vandals. Dambo later replaced the work with a new sculpture.

While visiting the site Thursday, longtime Austin resident Jim Patterson, 75, stopped to take in the damage during his regular walk through Pease Park. Patterson, who has visited the park since moving to Austin to attend the University of Texas in 1968, said the sculpture had become part of the park’s identity.

“(Malin) is a draw to the park to get people out and about,” Patterson said. “And for kids, it’s for adults, it’s for all of that. And it’s a shame. What a shock.” He added, “It’s such a tragedy to lose what, to many children and people with a child in their heart, was such a thing.”

Kiester said the conservancy has not yet determined what comes next but hopes the sculpture’s broader message endures.

“The biggest thing is that she’s gone obviously,” Kiester said. “We still need to share resources and be kind to one another and look out for one another. I think that’s kind of what Malin did. She was just very inspiring.”

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