I was on a flat beach with 10-20mph winds, and I found a stump and pieces of driftwood that looked like it was internally burning. There was no flame, only sparks, and the rings inside were glowing fire-red, meanwhile the outside bark wasnt and it was unburnt.
In: Chemistry
A Swedish torch or simply a bonfire with sand kicked over it! The internal temperature of a bonfire can reach up to ~2000 degrees Fahrenheit. While wood starts to burn around 400-600 degrees… kicking sand onto a fire will “smother” the flames but the heart of that fire… them embers… they take a while to cool off. That’s why there’s no bonfire signs on beaches. People will come, drink, party, be merry…. Then kick sand into their fire and go home only to leave unknowing surfers severely burnt the next morning!
Did you stumble on a Swedish Torch?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_torch
Are you asking about the mechanics behind burning out the interior of a log, or why this one specifically was on fire? I can’t answer the second question, but it’s definitely possible to burn the interior of a log without burning the outside–it’s something that’s been done for hundreds of years to hollow out pieces of wood that would be difficult to carve the inside out of. If you start with a small hole in one cut end, the fire will have enough oxygen to slowly work its way through the log. Usually you’d wet the outside so that it doesn’t catch if you’re doing it on purpose to create something hollow, and being on a beach would probably help it stay wetter and protect the bark/outside.
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