Somebody Set the Christmas Tree In Oakland's Jack London Square on Fire

The Christmas tree in Jack London Square was torched early Monday, but may have been saved from being a total loss — though it's not clear if it will be able to be restrung with lights and used for a tree-lighting ceremony on Saturday.

An arson investigation has begun in Oakland's Jack London Square after firefighters responded to the 52-foot tree on fire around 1:30 a.m. Monday.

Firefighters from a nearby fire house were able to respond very quickly, as the Chronicle reports, and though the fire had already climbed to the top of the tree, it was extinguished in under five minutes. It's estimated that only 15% of the tree suffered serious damage — though it was already strung with lights and ornaments. A photo from the Oakland Fire Department below looks kind of grim.

Underneath the tree, fire department investigators found an aerosol can and a lighter that were likely used in the torching.

KTVU is sponsoring in the Saturday tree-lighting event in the square, and they report that there's still no word on whether it will go on as planned — or if the tree needs to be replaced.




Update: The East Bay Times reports that organizers of the tree lighting plan to move ahead with the damaged tree — I guess this will be a "don't look at the back of the tree" situation. And police have surveillance video that appears to show a suspect on a bicycle throwing the aerosol canister at the base of the tree.

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