The Christmas tree in White Post is a sign of the times.
It has been vandalised and some trees have been cut down to make way for a new one.
The fire at the farm in Wapato is believed to have been started by a young couple who set the fire, which broke out at 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday, after a party, said RCMP Sgt. Scott Mowat.
The young couple was arrested, and police say the couple were upset because the Christmas tree was missing and they didn’t want it to be in the family’s yard, Mowa said.
“They did that to cause concern in the home,” he said.
The family is from Alberta, and the couple has been charged with arson, mischief over $5,000, mischief to property and uttering threats.
“The whole thing was very bizarre and it was very unusual,” said Sgt. Mike Pomerleau, the Wapatos’ fire investigator.
“We were surprised that they did that.
We’re not familiar with this particular fire.”
The couple was in custody Thursday morning.
They were scheduled to appear in court Friday.
The Christmas Tree is a popular holiday icon in Wapello, a community that’s largely white and rural, and where a fire has devastated a nearby community.
Wapato Mayor Tom Lappin said the family that set the Christmas Tree on fire was not part of the community.
“It was a family that’s gone on vacation,” he told the CBC’s Manitoba program.
“I don’t know where they were at the time.”