Reported by Jason McWhisker
Watercress Village – Local fire officials are searching for an arsonist who destroyed the town Christmas tree. Eyewitnesses state that colored tissue paper was wrapped around the base of the light bulbs on the lower fourth of the tree.
“I was doing my rounds when a young otter grabbed my arm and told me that someone had wrapped tissue paper around the bulbs, and begged me to turn off the automatic timer to the lights,” said Mutley Moore, the park security guard.
With less than 5 minutes before the lights were due to come on, Moore discovered that someone had put gum in the lock, and he could not get into the shed to shut off the lights.
He ordered the boys to begin taking off the ornaments, and then began to hammer at the lock. Only three minutes remained. When hammering failed, he began unscrewing the hinges. As soon as he removed one door the timer went off, and the tree lights burst into flame. Though the boys were able to get many of the ornaments off the tree, the oldest ones were engulfed by the flames. The star at the top did not burn, thankfully, because it was made of metal.
“This is definitely not the kind of yuletide fire we were hoping for,” said the town mayor, C. Watercress. “At least we didn’t have the money this year to buy a very large tree, or else we would have lost many more ornaments.”
An anonymous tipper called the police hotline with information on a possible suspect. Because of the suspect's age, the police will not
disclose any details. Investigators will continue to interview witnesses If convicted, the suspect could face 200 hours of community service, and a hefty fine.
In the meantime, the town needs donations to buy a new tree. If you would like to help, or for more information, contact the Watercress Village Town Hall at 555-6787 or townhall@watercressvillage.ais.
