The giant 50-ft Christmas tree located at Fox News headquarters in New York City was reportedly lit on fire early Wednesday morning, and a suspect has been since been arrested.

“It appears that our giant Christmas tree there just a couple of minutes ago was completely engulfed in flames,” host Shannon Bream announced on live television just after midnight. “It appears cruiser there on the scene. You see the smoke in the aftermath is they’re trying to get that under control.”

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“The fire appears to be out for now,” she later added. “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.”

Daily Mail reported that staffers at Fox News called police after they witnessed Craig Tamanaha, 49, climb the tree at 12:14 a.m. and proceed to light it on fire. NYPD detectives have since claimed that this was a random attack and was not meant to be a statement against Fox News.

Tamanaha is said to be a homeless man who has two prior arrests with the NYPD for drug possession, both of which occurred earlier this year. Though he had a lighter on him when he was arrested, the NYPD has not yet confirmed that he used this to light the tree on fire.

Liberals were quick to celebrate the burning of this Christmas tree.

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“Thoughts and prayers to the Fox News Christmas tree that was forced to stand outside a place that spews white supremacy and fascism,” tweeted MSNBC guest Dean Obeidallah. “Perhaps the tree spontaneously burst into flames to save itself from having to see Tucker Klansman. #WarOnChristmas.”

“I’m sincerely concerned with a Christmas tree that celebrates the birth of Jesus forced to stand in front of a place that spews hate,” he later added. “Fox News is everything Jesus opposed.”

Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott sent a memo to staffers on Wednesday morning in which she called the incident “a malicious arson.”

“We are very grateful to the FDNY which quickly mobilized to extinguish the fire and the NYPD which apprehended the criminal on site who has since been charged with arson, among multiple other crimes,” Scott said, according to The Hill.

On “Fox & Friends” this morning, host Brian Kilmeade lamented that “this is just beyond tragic and angers everybody.”

“This is part of a bigger problem,” Kilmeade added. “It’s the crime surge in this country … There is so much crime in places that were always safe, including 48th and sixth here. This is emblematic of these cities out of control, defame and defund the police, and this bail reform that has these men and women these assailants these suspects out before they can even finish the paperwork. This is what you get when you have these left-wing DAs … running these cities, you get chaos.”

Fox has pledged to rebuild the tree in the wake of this arson despite what has happened.

“This has become a new wonderful tradition on FOX Square over the last three years. We will not let this deliberate and brazen act of cowardice deter us. We are in the process of rebuilding and installing a new tree as a message that there can be peace, light, and joy even during a dark moment like this,” Scott concluded. “We are currently planning on a lighting ceremony for the new tree and will send those details once we have them.”

This piece was written by James Samson on December 8, 2021. It originally appeared in RedVoiceMedia.com and is used by permission.

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