A huge, 75ft Christmas tree caught fire at a lights switch-on.
Stunned onlookers watched as thick, black smoke billowed from it.
The festive inferno happened in a city centre.
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The lavishly-decorated tree, caught fire yesterday (19 Dec) evening.
People out and about in the city centre first noticed a strong smell of burning plastic.
They bolted in fright after spotting smoke rising from the tree moments later.
Local man, Alesson da Costa, had taken his son to see the conifer up close.
He told local media: “Wow, it was so beautiful, but as soon as they turned on the lights, it caught fire. We ran away in fear.”
The tree was put up in downtown Manaus, Brazil, by the Amazonas State Department of Culture.
It is believed it caught fire due to a short circuit.
Luckily, firefighters were already at the scene doing maintenance work.
They managed to put out the blaze with no injuries reported.
The blaze damaged the entirety of the tree’s internal wiring.
The authorities cordoned off the area to carry out repair work, as reported by Need To Know.
They say festive events in the vicinity will continue as planned.
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