Fox News sets fire to flammable tree after last year’s fire

This one won’t burst into flames.

Fox News set fire to a giant combustible tree outside its Midtown headquarters Monday night following last year’s devastating arson attack.

The 50-foot tree was unveiled at Midtown’s Fox Square during a tree lighting hosted live by Greg Gutfeld, Judge Jeanine Pirro, Dana Perino, Jessica Tarlov and Jesse Watters.

This Christmas tree comes a year after a rogue fire bug set the 2021 tree ablaze outside Fox News’ Midtown headquarters, causing a massive fire.

The arsonist is said to have set the red, white and blue artificial tree on fire after “contemplating lighting the tree all day”, according to police.

Anchor Gutfeld joked on Monday: “[We will] Push that button to make that sucker light up — and not in a bad way.”

In early December 2021, homeless man Craig Tamanaha set fire to the Fox News Christmas tree that stood in front of the building that houses Fox News, the New York Post and the Wall Street Journal, in a tourist-crowded area near Radio City and Rockefeller Center.

He climbed the tree’s metal frame and lit a piece of cardboard to start the fire, police sources told the Post at the time.

The fire quickly engulfed the 50-foot-tall artificial tree, leaving it completely destroyed, but no one was injured. A Fox security guard took Tamanaha to the ground before police and firefighters arrived.

Tamanaha was charged with criminal mischief, negligent endangerment and arson, among other charges.

Meanwhile, Fox News restored a new tree in two days. He last appeared in court on June 10 and is believed to still be on bail. The troublemaker was recently arrested for exposing himself outside of Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial in New York City.

On Monday, the network honored FDNY and NYPD by choosing them to light this year’s tree. It is adorned with 12,000 ornaments and 340,000 lights, as well as a starry sky over two meters high.

A source confirmed to The Post, “This new tree is made of refractory metal.” No word yet on the other materials used for the towering wood.

Guests included first responders from the NYPD and FDNY, including members of NYPD Precinct 32 who lost Detectives Wilbert Mora and Jason Rivera in January, and members of EMS Station 49 who lost EMS Capt. Alison Russo earlier this year had lost.

Also in attendance were a variety of Fox personalities including Sean Hannity, Kellyanne Conway, Bill Hemmer, Ainsley Earhardt, Steve Doocy, Rosanna Scotto, Larry Kudlow and Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott.

America’s Newsroom and The Five host Dana Perino told The Post, “The tree lights are a nice way to say, ‘Okay, let’s take a deep breath, let’s enter the season of hope and renewal with some joy and opportunity to celebrate’.”

When asked if this new tree could be combustible, she said: “I certainly hope not. But we will try to do everything to ensure that nothing happens to him.

Getty Images

Getty Images

Getty Images

She added, “But I know that if that were to happen again, within 48 hours we would gather the same way we did last year…we had the tree up again.”