NORWALK, Conn. (AP) Squirrels are out to ruin Christmas in one Connecticut city.

Officials in Norwalk are blaming the critters for chewing through the wires on several strands of lights on the Christmas tree outside city hall.

Ken Hughes, Norwalk's superintendent of parks, tells The Hour that when he tested the lights Monday in advance of Wednesday night's official tree lighting ceremony, only about a quarter lit up. That's when he noticed that a wire near the bottom of the tree had been chewed through.

It took someone in a bucket truck more than three hours to go up and down the tree to find and replace other chewed wires. Fortunately, the strands of lights only cost about $17 each.

Officials figure squirrels are to blame because they can climb high enough.