FDNY called "Grinches" for removing illegal Christmas trees

NEW YORK The Fire Department of New York has been removing illegal Christmas trees from NYC apartment building lobbies, inciting anger from residents for dampening holiday spirit.

CBS New York reports that live trees are "combustible" and pose as a fire hazard. Many apartment building lobbies have fake trees, but live ones are not allowed.

And many New Yorkers, who consider lobbies an extension of their home, do not appreciate the FDNY coming in and taking their holiday decorations.

"It's like 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas,' and not just Christmas, but all holidays that are celebrated," Upper West Side building resident Sonya Chodry told WCBS-TV's Derricke Dennis.

Chodry said firefighters came and took the Christmas tree out of her lobby last week and put it outside, by the building's entrance.

"Somebody didn't like it, came along and called the fire department," Chodry said.

Linda Burke, and Upper West Side parent, wasn't too thrilled about the tree-removing either.

"Oh, that's too bad. It kind of kills the Christmas spirit," she told WCBS-TV.

According to the city's fire code, it's unlawful to display highly "combustible goods" in common areas. WCBS gained access to the FDNY training video, which shows an unattended Christmas tree burning up in seconds.

This snapshot from the FDNY's training video shows how live Christmas trees can be "combustible" when cloaked in decorations.

/ WCBS/FDNY

"The problem is they're so combustible when no properly cared for, it's a danger for the occupants," FDNY Deputy Chief Dan Donoghue told WCBS.

Donghue said no firefighter wants to steal Christmas. His firehouse even has its own live tree. But he said live trees in building lobbies have to be removed.

"It's something we'd rather not do, but for the safety of the building, it's something we have to do," he said.

The solution for the FDNY is displaying the trees by the window outside of the lobby.

[Linderellabelle]

Are the ones complaining now going to be complaining when a burning tree in a lobby impedes FDNY from accessing an apartment building? What's a few burned or dead bodies compared to someone's "right" to have a live tree? Some people are just morons.

[Nononameplease]

OK to have a few hundred real trees in the apartments, or however many are in each building. Yeah, if one of those caught fire, NO WAY it could cause the rest of the building to catch fire, like one in the lobby would, right? No, wait, I meant, uh,...

[tsigili]

That's because the atheists no longer have any tolerance, for any public display of Xmas.

They have become as bad as the Taliban........and just as vindictive, agaist Christians.

[bobnjersey]

[That's because the atheists no longer have any tolerance, for any public display of Xmas. ]
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there's christmas everything ... everywhere ... for a month before the actual day ... and especially in new york city.

this nonsense 'war on christmas' crap is total fiction ginned up by the right to perpetuate the delusional belief that you're all being persecuted by someone ... anyone ... and you deserve the empathy of others.

[enlightenu]

haha, Tsigili again, the nutjob. You have never said anything that made any sense. All you are is entertainment. You're a living joke.

[john92021]

they forgot to clean out the Whitehouse of trees. Hope they remembered the menorahs, big fire hazard there. When I was a little kid we had real candles on our tree. Never burned down, probably because we were careful because we knew it was dangerous. I also had a BB gun, didn't wear a helmet and had no seat belts. Sure **** happened but it was more Darwinism than anything else. Now we have lowered the bar so far that we have become a nation of cretins.

[judymar14]

Put up fake ones...Oh, forgot they probably would be stolen.