YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, RUSSIA (CelebrityAccess) Unexpected fires were unwanted parts of New Year’s Eve festivities in Russia and in U.K.’s Liverpool Dec. 31.
A New Year’s Eve concert on Russia’s largest island, Sakhalin, included an unexpected pyrotechnic display when the 80-foot-tall Christmas tree onstage burst into flames.
The concert was held on Lenin Square in the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, on the island – some eight time zones East of Moscow.
The concert continued despite the firestorm, according to the Siberian Times. As firefighters were called to the scene, concertgoers were warned to practice safety, the paper said.
Even though it took mere minutes for the firefighters to get to the scene, and the concert was held in chilly 6 Celsius temperature, all that was apparently left of the tree upon arrival was its metal frame.
The city continued to celebrate New Year with midnight fireworks.
Meanwhile, in Liverpool, England, a car park next to the Liverpool Echo Arena, caught fire damaging about 1,400 cars, according to the BBC. The arena had to evacuate its New Year’s Eve event, the Liverpool International Horse Show, while hundreds were stranded in the city without transportation. The evacuation apparently included 80 horses.
Liverpool City Council setup a temporary shelter at the city’s Lifestyles Gym, according to the BBC.
