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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Photos courtesy of Millbury Fire Department/Facebook

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"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."

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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.

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