MUSKEGON, Mich. (AP) — A western Michigan community is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its beloved singing Christmas tree.
The Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree, which features a 180-student high school choir and stands 15 rows tall, belted out 19 holiday tunes at a Muskegon theater this week and was set to perform two more shows on Saturday. The 67-foot-tall (20-meter-tall) tree is adorned with 25,000 LED lights and loads of greenery.
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The innards of a 67-foot-tall structure as seen before a performance of the annual Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree show Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Muskegon, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
From left, students Lorelei Lucas and Skylar Hunt pose for a photo while standing in a 67-foot-tall structure following the annual Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree show Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Muskegon, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
Choir member Makenzie Aney sings during the annual Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree show Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Muskegon, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
From left, students Selah Bradfield, Lorelei Lucas and Skylar Hunt sing while standing in a 67-foot-tall structure as part of the annual Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree show Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Muskegon, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
A volunteer assists students as they exit a 67-foot-tall structure following the annual Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree show Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Muskegon, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
Makenzie Aney, a choir member who is this year's "Tree Angel" sings with other students, standing in a 67-foot-tall structure, as part of the annual Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree show Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Muskegon, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
High school students sing while standing in a 67-foot-tall structure as part of the annual Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree show Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Muskegon, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
“The Singing Christmas Tree is 100% a spectacle,” said Shawn Lawton, who has directed the Mona Shores High School Choir and overseen the annual show for three decades.
The towering tree-shaped structure has a hierarchy, with freshmen near the bottom, sophomores and juniors in the middle and seniors above them.
The very top, just underneath the star, typically is reserved for the “tree angel," a student chosen by Lawton who “is not your top singer" but has “all the heart."
This year's pick is senior Makenzie Aney, who uses a wheelchair and performs at the base of the tree, close to the front of the stage.
“It makes me real happy and excited and joyful,” Aney said of being selected this year's tree angel.
Aney and her fellow singers aren't alone as they run through "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," “Noel,” and other holiday favorites. A 50-member Mona Shores High student orchestra surrounds the tree and a small army of parents and other volunteers makes sure all goes smoothly, both on the ground and in the tree.
The Singing Christmas Tree has been a holiday must-see for area residents for many years. But it increasingly draws fans from other states and even countries, with videos of past performances viewable online.
“It's become a bucket list item for a lot of people,” said Lawton, who is marking his final holiday season in charge of the performance.
The 58-year-old is retiring at the end of the school year. His successor is Brendan Closz, a Mona Shores graduate who sang in the tree, as did his three brothers, and is co-directing the choir this year to help ease the transition.
“Being a part of (the show) has been such a reward,” Lawton said. “And I am going to really miss that.”
The innards of a 67-foot-tall structure as seen before a performance of the annual Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree show Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Muskegon, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
From left, students Lorelei Lucas and Skylar Hunt pose for a photo while standing in a 67-foot-tall structure following the annual Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree show Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Muskegon, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
Choir member Makenzie Aney sings during the annual Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree show Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Muskegon, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
From left, students Selah Bradfield, Lorelei Lucas and Skylar Hunt sing while standing in a 67-foot-tall structure as part of the annual Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree show Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Muskegon, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
A volunteer assists students as they exit a 67-foot-tall structure following the annual Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree show Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Muskegon, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
Makenzie Aney, a choir member who is this year's "Tree Angel" sings with other students, standing in a 67-foot-tall structure, as part of the annual Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree show Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Muskegon, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
High school students sing while standing in a 67-foot-tall structure as part of the annual Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree show Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Muskegon, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Firefighters scrambled Sunday to make further progress against wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes and killed 24 people in the Los Angeles area as forecasters again warned of dangerous weather with the return of strong winds this week. At least 16 people were missing, and authorities said that number was expected to rise.
The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for severe fire conditions through Wednesday, with sustained winds of 50 mph (80 kph) and gusts in the mountains reaching 70 mph (113 kph). The most dangerous day will be Tuesday, said weather service meteorologist Rich Thompson.
“You’re going to have really strong gusty Santa Ana winds, a very dry atmosphere and still very dry brush, so we still have some very critical fire weather conditions out there,” Thompson said at a community meeting Saturday night.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone said 70 additional water trucks arrived to help firefighters fend off flames spread by renewed gusts. “We are prepared for the upcoming wind event,” Marrone said. Fire retardant dropped by aircraft Sunday will act as a barrier along hillsides, officials said.
Fierce Santa Anas have been largely blamed for turning the wildfires sparked last week into infernos that leveled entire neighborhoods around the city where there has been no significant rainfall in more than eight months.
Twelve people were missing within the Eaton Fire zone and four were missing from the Palisades Fire, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said. Luna added that “dozens” more reports might have come in Sunday morning and investigators were reconciling whether some of the missing might be among the dead. There are no children among those reported missing, he said.
Meanwhile, the death toll rose to 24 over the weekend. Eight of the deaths were attributed to the Palisades Fire and 16 resulted from the Eaton Fire, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said in a statement Sunday evening.
Officials said they expected that figure to increase as teams with cadaver dogs conduct systematic grid searches in leveled neighborhoods. Authorities have established a center where people can report the missing.
Officials also were building an online database to allow evacuated residents to see if their homes were damaged or destroyed. In the meantime, LA city Fire Chief Kristin Crowley urged people to stay away from scorched neighborhoods.
“There are still active fires that are burning within the Palisades area, making it extremely, extremely dangerous for the public," Crowley said at a Sunday morning briefing. “There’s no power, there’s no water, there’s broken gas lines, and we have unstable structures.”
Officials warned the ash can contain lead, arsenic, asbestos and other harmful materials.
About 150,000 people in Los Angeles County remained under evacuation orders, with more than 700 residents taking refuge in nine shelters, Luna said. Officials said most of the orders in the Palisades area were unlikely to be lifted before the red flag warnings expire Wednesday evening.
“Please rest assured that first thing Thursday we will begin talking about repopulation,” Marrone said.
By Sunday morning, Cal Fire reported the Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth and Hurst fires had consumed more than 62 square miles (160 square kilometers), an area larger than San Francisco. The Palisades Fire was 11% contained and containment on the Eaton Fire reached 27%. Those two blazes accounted for 59 square miles (nearly 153 square kilometers).
Crews from California and nine other states are part of the ongoing response that includes nearly 1,400 fire engines, 84 aircraft and more than 14,000 personnel, including newly arrived firefighters from Mexico.
Minimal growth was expected Sunday for the Eaton Fire “with continued smoldering and creeping” of flames, an LA County Fire Department incident report said. Most evacuation orders for the area have been lifted.
After a fierce battle Saturday, firefighters managed to fight back flames in Mandeville Canyon, home to Arnold Schwarzenegger and other celebrities near Pacific Palisades not far from the coast, where swooping helicopters dumped water as the blaze charged downhill.
The fire ran through chaparral-covered hillsides and also briefly threatened to jump over Interstate 405 and into densely populated areas in the Hollywood Hills and San Fernando Valley.
Looting continues to be a concern, with authorities reporting more arrests as the devastation grows. Michael Lorenz, a captain with the Los Angeles Police Department, said seven people have been arrested in recent days, with two suspects “posing as firefighters coming and in and out of houses.”
Asked exactly how many looters have been arrested, Lorenz said he couldn’t give a precise number but that officers were detaining about 10 people a day. California National Guard troops arrived Friday to help guard properties.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom posted on X Saturday that “California will NOT allow for looting.”
The fires that began Tuesday just north of downtown LA have burned more than 12,000 structures.
No cause has been determined for the largest fires and early estimates indicate the wildfires could be the nation's costliest ever. A preliminary estimate by AccuWeather put the damage and economic losses so far between $135 billion and $150 billion.
In an interview that aired Sunday on NBC, Gov. Gavin Newsom said the fires could end up being the worst natural disaster in U.S. history.
“I think it will be in terms of just the costs associated with it, in terms of the scale and scope,” he said.
Along with crews from other states and Mexico, hundreds of inmates from California’s prison system were also helping firefighting efforts. Nearly 950 incarcerated firefighters were dispatched “to cut fire lines and remove fuel to slow fire spread,” according to an update from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Though the state has long relied on prison labor to fight fires, the practice is controversial as the inmates are paid little for dangerous and difficult work. Inmates are paid up to roughly $10.24 each day, with additional money for 24-hour shifts, according to the corrections department.
Volunteers overflowed donation centers and some had to be turned away at locations including the Santa Anita Park horse racing track, where people who lost their homes sifted through stacks of donated shirts, blankets and other household goods.
Altadena resident Jose Luis Godinez said three homes occupied by more than a dozen of his family members were destroyed.
“Everything is gone,” he said, speaking in Spanish. "All my family lived in those three houses and now we have nothing.”
Newsom issued an executive order Sunday aimed at fast-tracking the rebuilding of destroyed property by suspending some environmental regulations and ensuring that property tax assessments are not increased.
“We’ve got to let people know that we have their back,” he said. “Don’t walk away because we want you to come back, rebuild, and rebuild with higher quality building standards, more modern standards. We want to make sure that the associated costs with that are not disproportionate, especially in a middle-class community like this.”
The White House said as of Sunday more than 24,000 people have registered for federal assistance made available by President Joe Biden's major disaster declaration last Wednesday.
LA Mayor Karen Bass said Sunday that she has spoken with members of the incoming presidential administration and said she expects Donald Trump will come visit the devastated region.
Bass faces a critical test of her leadership during the city's greatest crisis in decades, but allegations of leadership failures, political blame and investigations have begun.
Newsom on Friday ordered state officials to determine why a 117 million-gallon (440 million-liter) reservoir was out of service and some hydrants had run dry.
Crowley, the LA fire chief, said city leadership failed her department by not providing enough money for firefighting. She also criticized the lack of water.
“When a firefighter comes up to a hydrant, we expect there’s going to be water,” Crowley said.
Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press journalists Julie Walker in New York, Sophia Tareen in Chicago and Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia, contributed.
A statue sits outside a home destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
A home stands next to properties destroyed by the Palisades Fire in Malibu, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Timber Bossard, from left, and Rafael Rabines help Wings of Rescue load dozens of dogs and cats bound for Seattle, at the Hollywood Burbank Airport in Burbank, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (Drew A. Kelley,/The Orange County Register via AP)
Altadena Community Church parishioner Tim Gregory, right, shows his emotions after placing a stole around the neck of Pastor Paul Tellstrom after after all the stoles were burned along with the church from the Eaton Fire, during church services at Montebello Plymouth Congregational Church in Montebello, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (Will Lester/The Orange County Register via AP)
David Slater, right, clears the driveway from his home, spared from the Eaton Fire, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Inmate firefighters battling the Palisades Fire construct hand line to protect homes along Mandeville Canyon Rd. on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A firefighter sets up a hose while fighting the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
An American flag hangs behind a commercial building destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Pasadena Park Healthcare & Wellness Center COO Amy Johnson, left, hugs Rhea Bartolome, vice president of operations, outside their center after the Eaton Fire, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif. They returned to check on the facility after evacuating senior care residents from the fire. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A home is seen burned out from the Palisades Fire on the Pacific Coast Highway, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
A search team looks for victims' remains at a home destroyed by the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
A search team works at a home destroyed by the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
A search dog searches at a home destroyed by the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Metal debris stands at a home destroyed by the Palisades Fire in Malibu, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Debris from a home destroyed by the Palisades Fire is seen next to a home still standing in Malibu, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Vee Ban searches for a missing cat among Pacific Palisades homes destroyed by the Palisades Fire on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
The entry of a home and it's chimney are all that is left standing from the Palisades Fire, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Homes along Pacific Coast Highway are seen burn out from the Palisades Fire, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
A home stands above debris from the Palisades Fire in Malibu, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Search and Rescue crews work the devastation zone in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A firetruck drives up a road in Malibu, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Homes along Pacific Coast Highway are seen burn out from the Palisades Fire, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
A person walks along a beach past homes destroyed by the Palisades Fire along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Faithful pray at a religious service in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire at Trinity Lutheran Church Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025 in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
The Altadena Community Church is left damaged by the Eaton Fire Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A car drives past homes and vehicles destroyed by the Palisades Fire at the Pacific Palisades Bowl Mobile Estates on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Faithful pray at a religious service in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire at Trinity Lutheran Church Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025 in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Faithful pray at a religious service in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire at Trinity Lutheran Church Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025 in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Homes and vehicles destroyed by the Palisades Fire line a mobile home park along the Pacific Coast Highway on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Police pass a commercial building destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A car drives past homes and vehicles destroyed by the Palisades Fire at the Pacific Palisades Bowl Mobile Estates on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Rev. Dylan Littlefield, right, gives a blessing to a congregant during a religious service in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire at Trinity Lutheran Church Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025 in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A congregant is hugged by a priest during a religious service in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire at Trinity Lutheran Church Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025 in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Faithful shake hands at a religious service in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire at Trinity Lutheran Church Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025 in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A home at left destroyed by the Eaton Fire stands next to an intact residence, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
A car at right destroyed by the Eaton Fire sits next to an intact car, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Marjan Rajabi carries items salvaged from her Pacific Palisades home, which was destroyed by the Palisades Fire, on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Los Angeles. Accompanying her is her sister Mitre Rajabi. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
The sun rises behind a home destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades community of Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Marjan Rajabi waters a scorched plant at her Pacific Palisades home, which was destroyed by the Palisades Fire, on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Los Angeles. "It's the hope of rebuilding," Rajabi said. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Firefighters from an Oregon strike team survey damage at a Sunset Blvd. home leveled by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades community of Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Statues stand amidst debris after the Eaton Fire destroyed a property in Altadena, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
A vehicle is covered in retardant while crews battle the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Police officers check on homes to evacuate residents near the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
A group of firefighters traverse a steep hill while battling the Palisades Fire in the Mandeville Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Kaegan Baron, left, and Oliver Braren sift through the home of Kaegan's mother after it was destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Fire retardant covers leaves as crews battle the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Fire retardant covers a backyard in Mandeville Canyon during the Palisades Fire, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Firefighters study damage at St. Mark's Episcopal Church after it was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A worker trims a tree burnt by the Eaton Fire on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
A medical examiner and sheriff's deputies check on a home destroyed by the Eaton Fire on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Kenneth Snowden, left, surveys the damage to his fire-ravaged property with his brother Kim, center, and Ronnie in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire Friday, Jan. 10, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Smoke from the Palisades Fire rises over a ridge as seen from the Encino section of Los Angeles on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
A Cal Fire hand crew walks past a swimming pool toward their next assignment during the Palisades Fire in the Mandeville Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
A bowl of cat food and water, placed by Kevin Marshall, sits near his mother's property, which was destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. Marshall placed the bowls for Simba, a cat his mother took care of. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Kevin Marshall sifts through his mother's fire-ravaged property in the the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Kaegan Baron takes a moment as she sifts through the rubble of her mother's home after it was destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/John Locher)
The Palisades Fire burns above a home in Mandeville Canyon, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
A firefighter rests as crews battle the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Ella Venne, front, holds a cup she found in the remains of her family's home destroyed by the Eaton Fire as she searches with Glendale Fire Department captain Chris Jernegan, left, and his wife Alison in Altadena, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Firefighters watch as water is dropped on the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
