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Temple memorial to Florida shooting victims set ablaze

Artist David Best previously created structures in London and Londonderry that were symbolically burned.

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School Shooting Florida Temple Burning

A wooden temple built as a memorial to the 17 victims of a Florida high school mass shooting has been set on fire in a symbolic gesture of healing.

The Temple of Time public art installation was set ablaze at a ceremony hosted by the cities of Parkland and Coral Springs, where Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students live.

A lone gunman killed 17 students and staff and injured 17 others at the school on February 14 2018.

The families of several victims attended the ritual burning of the 35ft tall temple on Sunday.

School Shooting Florida Temple Burning
It took a few minutes for the fire to spread to the roof (John McCall/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

Described as “therapeutic” by some, the ceremonial fire was supposed to symbolise the release of pain still left inside.

Firefighters surrounded the structure as 17 people lit it up the centre of the temple with torches.

It took a few minutes for the fire to spread to the roof, suddenly engulfing the temple’s needle with giant flames as black smoke billowed up into the sky.

The timing was impeccable as the lace-like designs allowed the flames to spread evenly across the wooden structure, making it glow orange for a few minutes as the sky darkened. The temple did not burn to the ground as predicted.

Friends and loved ones had been leaving notes, photos and mementos inside the temple to honour the victims of the mass shooting since it was built in February.

“It’s kind of sad today because this temple has meant so much to so many,” said Parkland Mayor Christine Hunschofsky.

“The beauty of the temple is not the beautiful structure. It’s the people who were brought together, the messages, the love, the hope that was shared, and the resilience that has been shown by this community.”

San Francisco-area artist David Best created the 1,600sqft Asian design with a spire roof.

Most construction materials and other expenses were paid by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s foundation.

Best and his team of volunteers and community helpers built the structure as the communities commemorated the anniversary of the mass shooting last February.

London’s Burning festival
A 120-metre long model of London’s sky line in the 17th Century was set alight on the River Thames to mark the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London (PA file)

On Sunday, the artist said he worried about students and others suffering in silence.

He urged the community to protect one another to prevent more suicides, an apparent reference to the cases of two student survivors who committed suicide earlier this year.

“Let’s watch out for one another,” Best said. “This is a community that went through hell.”

Best created a wooden sculpture of 17th century London that was burned on the Thames in 2016 to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire.

He also created a temple in Londonderry that was symbolically burned in 2015.

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