Fire crews put out 5 Southern California lightning strike fires
Dramatic images and a video posted on social media show a 100foot tree bursting into flames before splitting in half in Southern California.
It was one of several lightning strike fires U.S. Forest Service crews put out this weekend in San Bernardino County.
Firefighters responded to five lightning strike single fires this weekend in the areas of Big Bear and Fawnskin, said Lisa Cox, a spokesperson for the San Bernardino National Forest. All five fires were contained by Sunday afternoon.
Cox said firefighters responded to that fire at about 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the northeast shore of Big Bear Lake near the Big Bear Airport. Because of its size and safety concerns, crews monitored the tree overnight before extinguishing it on Sunday.
“It was well over 100 feet tall,” said Cox.
Fire officials then dug a line around the tree to contain potential debris falling and prevent a wildfire. While engine crews dropped water over the tree, fire crews then responded to three other separate lightning strike fires in the area. A fifth fire sparked on Sunday morning.
Overnight, a video posted on Twitter showed fire burning inside the 100foot tree before splitting in two.
“The way it gets hit (by lightning), it can start burning from the inside, which is what happened to this tree,” said Cox.
Cox said fire crews will monitor each fire area for at least three days to make sure it’s “controlled and out” and that there isn’t “lingering heat or hot spots that could flare up.”