An unusual incident occurred in the morning in Modła. At 6:49 a.m., firefighters were dispatched to a tree fire. A unit of OSP KSRG Gromadka was sent to the scene.
Upon the rescuers’ arrival, it turned out that the source of the fire was inside the tree. Fires of this type are particularly dangerous because flames and high temperatures may develop for a long time in hollow spaces within the trunk, remaining barely visible from the outside. As a result, the tree may appear stable even though its structure is already seriously weakened.
The firefighters extinguished the fire. Thanks to their quick intervention, the situation was brought under control. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
How can a tree catch fire from the inside?
Although it sounds unusual, fires inside trees do occur sporadically. They most often affect older trees with natural cavities, decay or hollow spaces inside the trunk.
One possible cause is an earlier lightning strike. Even if the discharge occurred many months earlier, the damaged structure of the tree may contribute to the later smoldering of organic material. Another possible scenario is a fire started by a person—for example, by throwing a cigarette butt into an opening in the trunk or leaving a source of fire near it.
Experts also point out that conditions conducive to slow smoldering may persist for a long time inside decayed trees. In such cases, smoke or flames appear only after some time, once the fire has developed inside the trunk.