Tree + lightning = wildfire (sometimes)

[LadyStanley]

Interesting

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[JMCx4]

Lightning is indeed a fascinating thing. The extremely high energy in the lightning pulse that attached to the tree super-heated the moisture layer between the bark & the wood of the trunk, blowing open a "zipper" as the current traveled toward the low electrical potential point in the ground around the tree base. The steam released kept the edges of the forcefully opened bark section from scorching.