The
crowd of several hundred spectators pressed against the parking lot fence by
the vacant field, leery of getting too close to what would soon be the center
attraction.
Fire
trucks lined the exit road to the Old Mission Santa Inés.
One
last pine tree, perfectly shaped and still holding on
to its wooden stand, was tossed onto the 12-foot high pile of trees, barely
outlined in the darkness.
About
six firemen stepped forward holding flares and tossed them into the pile of
branches.
Swoosh!
The flames shot up three stories into the air, sparks and smoke flying in the
light breeze and down the nearby hillside. The crowd backed away as the heat
intensified and the flames made the pine needles pop and crack.
“Wow!”
“Look at how quick it burns!” “It’s so hot!” exclaimed observers, who ranged
from infants in arms to oldsters in wheelchairs. Some were sitting on blankets;
others had lawn chairs. A few even brought their family pets.
It
was the annual Solvang Christmas Tree Burn on Jan. 11, which began with lessons
about fire safety by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
When
it was kindled, there were more than 200 trees on the pile and perhaps 500
spectators watched the conflagration. The breeze gave the perfect lesson for
the fire demonstration – live sparks floating high into the air. If such a fire
were created in a home fireplace, the large sparks could cause the roof — or
even a nearby roof — to ignite.
After
half an hour or so, the flames were still burning furiously but much of the
crowd had dispersed because, even though the fire took the chill off the
evening air, the sky was now smoky and the stars were hidden. As the
firefighters threw some of the outlying trees further into the flames, branches
and tree silhouettes could be seen in the flickering light created by the fire.
After
about an hour, only a few dozen spectators were left.
Firefighters
said they expected the burn to last for several hours as the large logs and
tree trunks deep in the pyre were still smoldering and soon would finally burst
into flame.
Another
Yuletide was over, the immolation of another year’s crop of Christmas trees had
impressed old and young alike, and hopefully it made an indelible impression
fire-safety lesson on the minds of everyone who saw how quickly Christmas tree
fires start and spread, even when the tree has been well-watered.
It wasn’t a typical Friday night in Solvang, but it was a
night that area residents continue to look forward to every year.