BERLIN — An Austrian town has burned what organizers says is the world’s tallest bonfire, clocking in at 198.97 feet.

The local bonfire group in Lustenau, near the Swiss border, took three months to build the structure. It burned down in less than half an hour Saturday evening. The previous record structure was a 154.2-foot bonfire in Alesund, Norway in 2016.

Western Austria has a tradition of bonfires called “Funken,” or sparks. It’s believed to go back to pagan times when people lit fires to banish winter.

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