With the scale of death and destruction from the wildfires in Northern California coming into focus, footage of a blaze burning inside a hollow tree as the wildfires rage throughout the state is capturing social media by storm.
ABC News affiliate, ABC 57 reports that Sonoma resident Matthew McDermott was trying to get out of town and searching for an escape route Monday, but noticed something on his way out of town that captured his eye.
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In the nearby town of Schellville, McDermott saw a tree full of fire, flickering with bright orange and red flames flaring through several gaps in the large tree’s trunk. Smoke poured out near the tree’s top, just like a chimney.
McDermott called the sight “unbelievable,” as he crisscrossed the roads trying to find the best way out of the fiery madness.
“I’ve definitely not seen anything like this before,” McDermott said. “We wanted to know the escape routes in case we needed them. The route to Poloma was open. I just stopped on the side of the road and the whole ridge is on fire.”
McDermott said while he was checking the roads, he bought masks and passed them out to whomever needed it. He goes on to share that his parents and other relatives who live in the area are safe.
