Before turning into a brilliantly glowing burner of multiple acres in strengthening storm-inflow winds, this fire was a slowly shifting ring of flaming grass, spreading out from its inches-wide source. Of course, when that “source” was a channel of lightning launched miles aloft, into the anvil of the storm, it only would be a surprise not to have a fire start. After seeing the channel disturbingly arch right over my head, from my previous location about a mile away, I got back in the car quickly and kept observing the storm for a few minutes. Then from the corner of vision, I spotted a smoke plume, and sure enough, it rose from about where I heard the start of the (loud!) thunder just a few minutes before. With this being a little more interesting than the storm for the time being, I puttered over to have a closer look, diligently cognizant of wind direction, as one must be when observing and shooting wildfires. The causative supercell was at my back, high-based and generally non-threatening here (outside of lightning), but compelling me to occasionally look behind too!
2 N Aroya CO (8 Jun 24) Looking E
38.8892, -103.1268