![](https://images.twnmm.com/c55i45ef3o2a/1NzXV6qBkJOE02mMhAeDcJ/f9b440426a0573c42ca49836dffe09d5/FACEBOOK_-_Millbury_fire_dept_-_lightning_hits_tree.png?fm=webp&q=80&w=3840)
Lightning strike makes tree look like it's spewing lava
The now-viral photos were shared on Facebook over the weekend.
Lightning is common. It strikes the Earth millions of times a day, in various locales.
Most of the time, those strikes go unnoticed -- but once in a while, a hit of lightning will make something remarkable.
That was the case in Millbury, Massachusetts Sunday, when lightning hit a tree and made it look like it was spewing hot lava.
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![Millbury fire dept - facebook - lightning hits tree](https://images.twnmm.com/c55i45ef3o2a/6L94dMpsOrsKnpS3bGkq3g/ff141a95d3cb254bd3f14a235b0e745d/Millbury_fire_dept_-_facebook_-_lightning_hits_tree.png?w=3840&q=80&fm=webp)
Photos courtesy of Millbury Fire Department/Facebook
![FACEBOOK - Millbury fire dept - lightning hits tree2](https://images.twnmm.com/c55i45ef3o2a/5LwmTohr7qq4ZPa7oIB8Az/063da6120723df2c725f3c1960fa072a/FACEBOOK_-_Millbury_fire_dept_-_lightning_hits_tree2.png?w=3840&q=80&fm=webp)
"At 4:43 am, Engine 1, along with Car 1 and Car 3, responded to Clearview Country Club for a tree on fire," The Millbury Fire Department said in a Facebook post.
"The tree apparently took a lightning strike during the night and was burning deeply on arrival."
![FACEBOOK - Millbury fire dept - lightning hits tree3](https://images.twnmm.com/c55i45ef3o2a/1i90KKAG3rzrPwzjOdPVG6/bd2e4fba92df9fd6069f2d2070931415/FACEBOOK_-_Millbury_fire_dept_-_lightning_hits_tree3.png?w=3840&q=80&fm=webp)
Firefighters were able to douse the flames, but not before snapping a few now-viral photos.
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In a separate Facebook post, officials said there was a "steady breeze blowing right into the opening of the tree," which was fanning the flames.
As of this writing, the photos have been shared more than a thousand times.