Solvang hosts annual Christmas tree burn
Solvang held their annual Christmas tree burn on Friday night. The event is held as a way for the community to say farewell to their Christmas trees while also getting a fire safety education.
The Santa Barbara County Fire Department supervised the flames and did demonstrations to show the crowd just how quickly a Christmas tree can go up in flames.
” Providing that educational background, when we burn those little trees, in the beginning, is a good bonus where people can understand how dangerous they can be at the same time,” said Santa Barbara County Fire Department Captain Lonny Naniscalco.
A danger that on e attendee felt from being so close to the hot flames.
” At this distance, you can really feel it almost burning your skin just being this far away from it,” said attendee Stacey Medon.
The Christmas tree burning event is a festive tradition that happens every year. The event was discouraged by some residents who requested it to be canceled after California’s devastating wildfires this year. But since the event is supervised and in a controlled environment, officials feel it’s safe, fun and informative.
” It’s fun, it’s nice to see a bunch of people gathered, coming together, like a community, coming out to experience something fun,” said attendee Stacey Medon.
The firefighters on site said this year’s burn was much smaller than others but one onlooker thought differently.
” This is probably the largest bond fire I have ever been too,” said attendee Joshua Spaulding.
Toward the end of the tree burn, worn out and damaged American flags are thrown in the fires as well. The Boy Scouts organization collects the flags throughout the year and burns them which according to a scout master is the proper and honorary way to dispose of a retired American flag.
