A 96-foot Christmas tree at the South Coast Plaza was destroyed by a fire early today

The 96-foot Christmas tree worth $120,000 was destroyed Monday morning in a fire outside the Westin South Coast Plaza hotel, according to the O.C. Register.

Firefighters got a call at 6:34 a.m. that the tree, a 96-foot white fir from Mt. Shasta, was burning, Costa Mesa fire spokesman Capt. Chris Coates said, according to the L.A. Times.

Firefighters responded shortly before 6:40 a.m. to a report of a Christmas tree fire outside the hotel, which is located in the 600 block of Anton Boulevard, the Fire Department said in a tweet, according to KTLA News.

Firefighters extinguished the fire at about 7 a.m. Bare branches were all that remained of the tree, according to NBC News.

The 96-foot, 10-ton white fir Christmas tree cost $120,000 and was brought to the hotel Oct. 13 for the Nov. 19 tree lighting ceremony outside the hotel. It took approximately a month to decorate, according to the O.C. Register.

Officials are not certain if the fire was due to an electrical cause or arson.  The investigation is ongoing.

Art Pedroza Editor

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

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