NEW YORK (AP) — A man was charged with arson and other crimes Wednesday for setting fire to a 50-foot Christmas tree in front of Fox News headquarters in midtown Manhattan, police said.
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The tree outside of the News Corp. building that houses Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post caught fire shortly after midnight, police said.
Fox News host Shannon Bream announced the fire to viewers as firefighters were working to put it out.
“This is the Fox Square in New York, outside of Fox headquarters,” Bream said. “It appears that our giant Christmas tree there, just a couple of minutes ago, was completely engulfed in flames.”
Firefighters extinguished the flames, and no injuries were reported. It is unclear what condition the tree was in.
A 49-year-old man who police said was homeless was arrested on charges including criminal mischief, arson and trespassing. It wasn’t clear if he had an attorney who could comment on the charges.
Police said the man had a lighter, but it was unclear whether any accelerant was used.
The tree had been ceremonially lit during a network Christmas special on Sunday.
A message seeking comment was sent to a Fox News spokesperson.
.@ShannonBream offers an update on the Fox News Christmas tree, which caught fire earlier tonight: "The fire appears to be out for now. Moments ago, you could see it was engulfed in flames. No word of any injuries there. We saw the crews there, bravely fighting through this." pic.twitter.com/Zs5ZUV3cMm
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) December 8, 2021
Mishigah – and dangerous. B”H no major injuries or spread of fire.
The homeless man was jist looking to warm himself by a yule fire
Happy Chanukah!