SANDPOINT - The U.S. Forest Service is still investigating the fire that destroyed the beloved shoe tree at Priest Lake, but officials admit finding the culprits could prove next to impossible.

"We're looking into it, but I guess I'm not really hopeful that we'll find out anything. Probably the best thing is if somebody starts gossiping," said Priest Lake District Ranger Dick Kramer.

Somebody set fire to the old-growth cedar tree adorned with hundreds of pairs of shoes on Thursday.

"It was quite a dilemma putting it out because there was all this rubber that was burning at the same time," Kramer said.

There are no suspects and Kramer said he's unaware of any leads in the case. It remains unclear how the fire was started or why somebody would torch the unofficial landmark with a legacy that stretches back to the 1940s.

"You don't know if it was a bunch of kids that did it for the fun of it or somebody that didn't really like the shoe tree, thought it was a disgrace and decided to burn it down, he said. "We had heard about an arsonist being up there a couple of weeks ago, so there's all kinds of possibilities, but we don't really know."

Local lore holds that a Priest Lake visitor decided to tack his worn-out shoes to the tree after a long season, Kramer said.

"They started putting shoes up and it kind of became a tradition," he said.

Kramer said what remains of the tree could remain in place if the damage was not too extensive and the tree remains stable.

The Forest Service did not condone affixing shoes to the tree, but turned a blind eye to the practice because of its lengthy tradition. The agency is also discouraging the creation of a new shoe tree on federal forest land.

Those with information about the fire are asked to call the Priest Lake Ranger District at (208) 443-2512.