A pile of undecorated Christmas trees went up in flames on Friday night as Solvang conducted its traditional end to the holiday celebration.

Hundreds of spectators gathered in the empty field adjacent to Old Mission Santa Inés, 1760 Mission Drive, for the event.

Since Christmas, Santa Ynez Valley residents have dropped off undecorated, unflocked real Christmas trees to build a behemoth pile for the event that has been held for more than three decades. 

The tree burn also provided an educational twist as the Santa Barbara County Fire Department conducted a fire-safety demonstration to remind residents about how quickly flames can engulf a dry, live Christmas tree.

Members of Boy Scout Troop 41 from Bethania Lutheran Church, which is reportedly the last Boy Scout troop in the valley because of dwindling numbers, demonstrated how to properly retire an American flag as well as the proper technique — with firefighter supervision — for using a fire extinguisher to put out a fire.

Assorted food and activities also were available as part of the event organized by the Solvang Parks and Recreation Department.

Solvang Julefest celebrates the Christmas season with various events, including a tree lighting and parade from late November and into December before culminating with the tree burn in early January.

While the tree burn typically heralds the end of Solvang’s holiday celebration, some Julefest activities, such as the light and music show in the downtown park, will continue through Sunday, with displays hourly between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Originally aiming for Jan. 10, organizers held the tree burn a week earlier because of the Mission’s seismic retrofit project. 

A $500,000 federal grant plus donations funded the project to protect the structure from potential damage during an earthquake, according to the California Missions Foundations. 

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