As Autumn weather battered and bruised Britain yesterday this is the incredible scene that met firefighters called to tackle a tree sliced in two by lightning.
The large oak was ripped apart after receiving a direct hit from the bolt of electricity and burst into flames near Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire.
Firefighters were called to the burning tree core, which was torched by lightning carrying around 200million volts and hotter than the surface of the sun.
Watch Commander Neil Fowler said: ‘The trunk of the tree was glowing when crews arrived, and we found a deep-seated fire which we tackled using the compressed air foam system’.
‘The tree was severely damaged and around 30 metres of hedgerow and fencing were also destroyed’.
‘I have not seen anything like this before, especially with such a large tree still burning as the result of a lightning strike.’
He confirmed that the tree is considered to be structurally unsafe as a result of the incident and that tree surgeons are currently at the scene looking to fell it.
Crews found the large oak plus a section of hedge and fencing alight which they also extinguished.
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