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Swedish Christmas Goat burned down

A 2009 file photo of the huge straw Yule goat in Gefle Sweden. (Tony Nordin/CC/Wikimedia)
1 of 2 | A 2009 file photo of the huge straw Yule goat in Gefle Sweden. (Tony Nordin/CC/Wikimedia)

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GAVLE, Sweden, Dec. 6 (UPI) -- Officials in the Swedish city of Gavle say their Christmas Goat, a giant goat made of straw, went up in flames, leaving only its skeleton behind.

Gavle officials said the Christmas Goat, the 45th since the tradition originated in 1966, was the 28th to be burned, the Stockholm News reported Monday.

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The Local reported local police told the Swedish news agency TT they received a call in the early hours of Friday that the goat was on fire and it was destroyed within minutes. There was no word on how the fire started.

A 51-year-old U.S. man spent 18 days in jail and was fined $15,000 for burning the goat in 2001. Authorities said the man returned to the United States and has yet to pay the fine.

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