Eyewitnesses creepy, but fascinating spectacle began yesterday, may 26, rescuers from the state of Massachusetts, when left at the next challenge.
The storm raged over Boston in the night from Saturday to Sunday, not only lit the sky with hundreds of bright flashes of lightning, but also set fire to a large tree on the inside.
Photo: Millbury Fire Department
Fire service Millberry said in Facebook that at 4:43 am on may 26 they received a call about the fire at the country club Clearview, located about 40 miles West of Boston.
According to firefighters, lightning struck a tree which burned and smoldered inside during the night.
Photos published rescuers in Facebook, show the «glowing coals» in the trunk of an old tree.
«There was a strong wind blowing directly into this hollow and having stirred up the fire,» — said at the firehouse.
Photo: Millbury Fire Department
According to the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), lightning usually strike high objects such as trees and skyscrapers, because their tops are closer to the base of a thundercloud.
«But this rule does not always work. It all depends on where the charges are accumulated. Lightning can strike the ground in the open field, even if there is a tall tree,» — said in NSSL.
When a tree is struck by lightning, the water inside its trunk turns to steam, since the energy of lightning can heat the air in the range from 18 000 to 60 000 degrees Fahrenheit (10 to 33 thousand degrees Celsius).
«The rapidly expanding steam can tear off pieces of bark from the tree, and the wood is after this very often dies» — added to the NSSL.
