Russian New Year's Eve Celebration Turns Into Fiery Disaster

В Южно-Сахалинске знают толк в 'елочка зажгись'. [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

A New Year's Eve celebration in Russia went horribly wrong on Sunday. An 80-foot tall Christmas tree lit up in flames thanks to a fireworks mistake.

The dramatic footage was taken in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, a city in the Russian Far East. It is over 5,000 miles from Moscow.

The tree was the main Christmas tree on Sakhalin, Russa's largest island. According to the Siberian Times, all that remained after the unintended light show was the wire frame.

The tree itself was made of plastic and had burned out by the time firefighters arrived. Although concertgoers were warned, the events nearby continued. Some even stood by and watched the tree burn up.

Midnight fireworks also continued in the city, despite the smoke rising from the tree's remains.

According to RT, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk said they set up a special commission to investigate the incident.

There were no reported injuries, The Mirror reports.

Photo credit: Twitter/ @_MATPOCKuH

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