This morning around 7 a.m. a pile of Christmas trees in Washington Square Park went up in flames. A witness tells us, "There was some excitement this morning as someone lit the pile of discarded Christmas trees on fire. The pile was next to the arch, maybe 10 yards east and has been developing over the last weeks since Christmas." The trees have been getting dropped off there for MulchFest, and were set to be chipped.

The fire was contained quickly, though it's still unclear how they caught fire. The FDNY press office had no information about what started the blaze, but if the photo below is any indication, there may be a psychopathic tree arsonist on the loose in NYC. Turn yours to mulch before this sick bastard burns your murdered tree!: