Strong winds ripped through the Washington region Saturday, creating fast-moving fires, leaving thousands without power and toppling the National Christmas Tree. The National Weather Service reported that gusts reached at least 50 mph in all local jurisdictions. Those winds kept large brush fires in the suburban counties burning for hours, fire officials said, but there were no reports of deaths or serious injuries through early Saturday evening. One casualty, however, was the National Christmas Tree, a 46-year-old, 42-foot-tall Colorado blue spruce that was planted on the Ellipse, near the White House and National Mall, in 1978. The tree had previously been in York, Pa.

A National Park Service spokesman didn’t respond to requests for comment on a new tree. But ABC News reported that NPS horticulturists already knew that the tree likely wouldn’t stand much longer and a replacement has been identified.