The giant artificial Christmas tree set up to decorate the Jocotepec plaza was destroyed by fire on the evening of January 1.
Apparently the incident was caused by youngsters who were setting off firecrackers at the site. According to eye witnesses, two groups of kids were playfully pelleting one another with marcianitos (tiny incendiary devices) when several of them went astray, exploding into a short burst of sparks that set aflame the tree’s upper branches.
A number of adults rushed in to rescue the nativity scene and models of wrapped gifts placed around the foot of the tree. Local firefighters arrived about 15 minutes later and quickly extinguished the conflagration.