Log burns into shape of Virgin Mary inside Ga. couple's fireplace

HALL COUNTY, Ga. - A Hall County family's wintertime fire left behind more than a few ashes. 

Donna Rider moved into a brand new home in Lula with her husband, five children and her brother around Christmas time. Not long after moving in the heater broke, so they were forced to burn some wood in the fireplace. Two weeks later, Rider noticed something in her fireplace.

"I was sitting on the couch, watching TV, and happened to look down at the fireplace," Rider said. "And when I saw it, I thought 'wow that looks like Mary kneeling down holding a baby.'"

Rider told FOX 5 she pointed it out to her husband, Anthony, and he thought the same thing. He also noticed something else.

"My husband pointed out to me that behind the log, the wall of the fireplace is still white," she said. "Like it kind of formed with it. We thought that was pretty crazy." 

Several other people have noticed the religious symbol as well. 

"My brother noticed it and he was the one telling us that we needed to share it," she said. "I'm not sure if you can tell from the picture, but it looks like the head is turned sideways." 

Since the discovery, one of Rider's friends said the burnt log also looks like one of the Three Wise Men and another friend agreed it looked like Virgin Mary. 

"Our friends were telling us our house is blessed," Rider said. 

The Riders haven't needed to use their fireplace ever since, so the Virgin Mary burnt log is still there.