RESIDENTS at Branyan had a close call when lightning struck a large tree, bringing it crashing to the ground.

Luckily no one was hurt.

Vicki Fallon was house-sitting for her son in Bocks Rd when she heard a "massive crack" on Monday afternoon as a storm approached.

"I thought 'that sounds like a tree!' but I thought it was from the opposite direction," Ms Fallon said.

"I didn't give it another thought until I came out in the morning and saw the damage. I can't believe what it's done - it's huge."

The gum tree was about 20m tall and its trunk cracked about 3m up. It damaged a fence between two properties but caused little other damage.

"It's lucky there wasn't a car or a person underneath," she said.

"I've heard trees come down in lightning before because I live out in the bush, but this is a tree much bigger than what I'm used to.

"It was right across the whole driveway - you can still see the debris."

She suggested the tree may have been affected by white ants. "You can see how hollow it is inside."