Red Mass Slowly Takes Over Fire Hydrant And People Can’t Figure It Out

You never quite know what you’re going to see in Australia. Sometimes, the news is so unusual you may even have difficulty believing it.

Fortunately, we often have videos or pictures to back up those claims, and it just shows that Australia is a wild and wonderful place to live.

One of these unusual sightings was shared on Reddit recently. It shows some type of fungus that is consuming a fire hydrant.

The caption to the post read: “This thing has been growing underneath a leaking fire hydrant for the past few months.” According to the report, it took place in a car park in Brisbane.

A picture was shared, which was taken by a friend of the poster in October 2022. You can clearly see the water spigot engulfed by a red blob.

This organism has been growing under a leaking fire hydrant for a few months. Does anyone have an idea of what it could be?
by u/ieatjellyb42 in mycology

It got its start when the photographer noticed the “big rock” under the fire hydrant and something growing on it. The spigot had been leaking for about a year, which they feel helped the growth continue.

A quote from the friend was posted on Reddit, saying: “We tried turning it off ourselves but couldn’t. We contacted landlords, and the council but no one came to turn it off.”

It didn’t take long before the spore started to multiply at an exponential rate. It eventually grew from the rock to the fire hydrant, and when someone took the rock away, everything was gone.

Update photos: This organism has been growing under a leaking fire hydrant for a few months.
by u/ieatjellyb42 in mycology

There was enough left behind, however, for the unusual mushroom to continue to grow. It got its start again and the friend decided to chronicle the progression over time, according to News.com.au.

As of the last update, the mushroom had reached the spigot and had turned into a large red, green, and brown blob.

Of course, many theories came forward as to what was growing in the area. Some people took a scientific approach, while others just said they were disgusted by what they saw.