When One Tree Sparked an Inferno
It started with the tree. Just one. Dry from the heat, still in the wind, standing quietly at the edge of a parking lot. And then, without warning, its branches crackled to life.
Flames shot upward like a flare, orange devouring green in seconds. At first, people guessed lightning. Others thought maybe a cigarette or a power line spark. But nothing prepared them for what followed.
The Chain Reaction
As the fire climbed higher, a sharp pop split the air. Then another. Then five more. One by one, the cars beneath the tree erupted. Tires exploded, windows shattered, alarms wailed and fell silent. Smoke poured out in heavy waves as the fire leapt from one vehicle to the next, turning the lot into a sudden war zone.
Panic in Real Time
Some people ran. Some shouted. Others stood frozen, phones raised, unable to look away. From above, the scene looked apocalyptic a tree blazing like a torch, cars lighting up like matchsticks, black smoke curling into the sky in chaotic ribbons.
The Aftermath
Within minutes, an entire row of vehicles was gone consumed by flames that began in the leaves. What caused it? No one could say with certainty. But the wreckage left behind told its own story: charred trunks, twisted steel, and a silence that felt heavier than the fire itself.
And there, at the center, stood the tree. Blackened, bare, and strange like a burned-out fuse that had sparked it all.
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