WATCH LIVE: Police provide update on Giants of Mandurah fire investigation
WA Police are set to release further details about their investigation into how Danish artist Thomas Dambo’s Giants of Mandurah sculpture was burned to the ground on Friday night.
Acting Inspector Tom Tristram of the Special Crime Division will speak to media at 2.30pm.
Dambo said he had received many messages from Australians apologising for the incident which police had labelled suspicious.
“Me and my crew are obviously super sad to hear this news,” he said.
“I have received so many messages from kind and loving Australians, apologising for this.
“Of course, I don’t know if it’s an accident or if it’s done on purpose, but if it is done on purpose, I feel it is not the feeling of the general population.”
Vivi Cirklestone was one of five wooden giants created by Dambo which were hidden in secret locations around Mandurah in a free-to-view outdoor exhibition that only opened last month.
On Friday night police were called to a blaze at the sculpture’s site in Coodenup where the giant was discovered to be damaged beyond repair.
The company behind bringing the sculptures to Western Australia released a statement saying they were hoping to rebuild the sculpture but that nothing had been finalised.
“We are currently working with the artist, the City of Mandurah and our valued project partners to explore a solution, and are optimistic that we can find one,” CEO Tabitha McMullan said.
“Ideally, we would love to be able to recreate something and make sure that the trail and game still works, but we don’t have any details to share as yet.
Each troll’s body is constructed on-site using the wood of old pallets from a Perth brewery.Credit:Tony McDonough
“In the meantime, we encourage people to continue to visit, meet and enjoy the other four Giants in Mandurah, plus Bille Bob in Subiaco.”
Police said emergency services were called to Coodanup Foreshore Reserve on Peel Parade about 11.30pm Friday night.
“Department of Emergency Services (DFES) extinguished the fire which caused extensive damage to a sculpture,” they said.
While the cause of the blaze is still unknown, locals have been devastated by the news.
The sculptures are designed to look as though they’ve been there forever, and will eventually break down and return to nature.Credit:Tony McDonough
Fisheries Officer Darren Harbord came across the burnt remnants at 5am Saturday morning while working in the area.
“We could smell it as we were driving past, lucky the fire didn’t get out of hand,” he said.
“It’s a terrible thing.”
Harbord posted the images he took online and received “over 500 unhappy comments”.
Dambo has been collecting materials to recycle into his art since primary school.Credit:@thomasdambo/Instagram
“It’s such a shame because this was a good one, it was easy access for the elderly and disabled people,” he said.
“I hope they find who did this. The community is very upset.”
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