Split trunks caught fire from the inside

The hollow tree trunk in Trinity, Texas, burned abruptly, whether outside or nearby, no fires appeared.

The video of the strange phenomenon attracted nearly 20 million views when So Fain posted on social networks, Newsweek reported on October 22. It is possible that a fire can rise inside a tree even if it is not burnt outside much, according to the California Cooperative Open University.

This is a rare and interesting phenomenon that has been studied by scientists.

"The video captures a rare and interesting phenomenon that has been studied by scientists. Maybe after the lightning struck, the smoldering fire gradually gouged out trees and rose up. This process created a chimney. However, inside the body, the fire then ignites and burns faster, " explains Professor Guillermo Rein, a fire science expert at the Royal London Academy.

Burning trunks may also be associated with honey mushrooms, or Armillaria mushrooms, according to Scott Stephens, a professor of fire science at the University of California, Berkeley. This is a parasite that eats trees, causing the trunk to hollow inside and the outside to be crispy and dry. This makes the tree vulnerable to fires formed by forest fires, lightning strikes or human activity. If the fire enters an empty space, the tree may burn for a few days and eventually collapse, Stephens said.

In May, the fire department of Millbury, Massachusetts, posted on social networks pictures of large trees with hollow cavities caught by lightning. In 2017, fire was licked inside a tree after a wildfire in Sonoma County, California.

• Video: The phenomenon of trees burning from the inside in America