August began with a burst of volcanic activity in Indonesia as Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted, sending ash miles into the sky.

Part of the eruption unfolded at night, illuminating the darkness with the fiery glow of lava and flashes of lightning.

Violent volcano eruptions are often accompanied by lightning as the rapidly growing plume of ash generates a tremendous amount of static electricity in the atmosphere. Once enough charge builds up, it is released all at once in a bolt of lightning.

Friday's eruption was the most recent recorded at Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in recent months and years. In early July, which later blanketed nearby towns, roads and fields with ash, according to The Associated Press .

“People around the volcano have increasingly understood how to minimize the imp

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