STOCKHOLM— Not even a layer of ice was enough to keep three people from torching the straw goat in a Swedish town where the annual challenge of burning it to the ground has become an odd Christmas tradition for vandals.

The 43-foot high and 3.6 ton straw goat in the Swedish town of Gavle, meant to symbolize the seasonal spirit, was destroyed Thursday after the assailants crossed the fence surrounding it and set it on fire.