Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Forensics
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
A May heat wave will complete the spring weather whiplash in the East. Click for details. Chevron right
Severe thunderstorms, some with tornadoes will prowl the Central states. Click to see where, when. Chevron right

Columbus, OH

66°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

66°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
Create Your Account Unlock extended daily and hourly forecasts — all with your free account.
Let's Go Chevron right
Have an account already? Log In
settings
Help
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly 10-Day Radar MinuteCast® Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Forensics

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

Top Stories Severe Weather Hurricane Center Astronomy Climate Recreation Trending Today Health In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars

News / Severe Weather

Dramatic photos show tree burning from the inside out

By Adriana Navarro, AccuWeather staff writer

Published Jul 7, 2022 9:11 PM EDT | Updated Jul 7, 2022 9:55 PM EDT

Copied

Sleepy Hollow anyone? Video filmed on July 8 by the Wales, Maine Fire Department shows how lightning sparked this fire inside of a tree during a recent storm.

When firefighters from the Ridgeville Township Volunteer Firefighter Department arrived on the scene to extinguish a burning tree Tuesday morning, they were met with a particularly challenging job.

Lightning from some early morning storms had struck and ignited a tree near a home in Ridgeville, Ohio, a town between Dayton and Cincinnati in southwestern Ohio. But firefighters came across a unique site when they arrived. Rather than finding a tree engulfed in flames, they instead saw a tree burning from the inside out.

"Lightning can do some crazy things and we had a tough time getting to every hot spot in this tree trunk," the department posted on Facebook along with the photos. "Big thanks to Moyer's Tree Service for coming out this morning to help get this tree cut down for us and the homeowner so we could fully extinguish the fire."

Lightning tree fire
Twitter

Comments on the post ranged from awe surrounding the power of nature and the beauty of the imagery to lamenting the loss of what appeared to be an old tree.

GET THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

  • Have the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts™ with Premium+

Rounds of thunderstorms rumbled through southwestern Ohio on Tuesday morning, delivering bouts of lightning, heavy rainfall and gusty winds.

In Wilmington, Ohio, roughly 20 miles southeast of Ridgeville, the National Weather Service office in the area spotted two shelf clouds by noon. These clouds are typically associated with a solid line of storms.

Severe storms would roll through the area the following day, churning up a tornado in Clermont County, Ohio, that would injure at least three people when the tornado struck the town of Goshen, located 30 miles northeast of Cincinnati. Preliminary findings from NWS survey teams Thursday found that an EF1 tornado had also touched down in Brown County near Lake Lorelei on Wednesday.

Related:

Woman captures the moment lightning strikes her husband's car
Lightning strike kills husband of ‘One Tree Hill’ actress
Lone car narrowly outraces landslide on an isolated highway

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.

Report a Typo

Weather News

Weather Forecasts

El Nino is almost here, and it may rival the strongest in history

May 14, 2026
Weather News

Lightning-sparked Texas wildfire destroys buildings, damages railroad

May 15, 2026
Weather News

Waymo recalls robotaxi fleet after one drove into Texas floodwaters

May 13, 2026
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

Top Stories

Severe Weather

Hurricane Center

Astronomy

Climate

Recreation

Trending Today

Health

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Climate

Super El Niño could strain food and water supplies around the world

3 days ago

Severe Weather

High-risk severe weather setup to focus on Plains, Midwest into Monday

6 minutes ago

Weather Forecasts

Heat wave to complete spring weather whiplash, worsen drought in East

7 minutes ago

Weather Forecasts

Wildfire risk to focus across the Southwest, Plains

7 minutes ago

Winter Weather

Winter to return to Colorado, Wyoming with more May mountain snow

2 hours ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Hurricane

El Nino to fuel Pacific hurricane season, raise risks for California

2 days ago

Health

Wet spring, more mice? The weather link behind rare hantavirus risk

3 days ago

Climate

Turkmenistan's fiery 'Gates of Hell' crater is dimming

3 days ago

Weather News

Here's how New York residents can get free A/C this summer

4 days ago

Recreation

Brain-eating amoeba found in hot springs at 3 National Parks: study

5 days ago

AccuWeather Severe Weather Dramatic photos show tree burning from the inside out
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy™ About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy™ About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2026 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information | Data Sources

...

...

...