Abstract Unusual dike-like bodies and lenses of paralava, up to 1–5 m long and 10 cm thick, are found in the “olive” unit of the combustion metamorphic complex in the Hatrurim Basin, Israel. High-temperature rocks of the “olive” unit are composed of anorthite and clinopyroxene (diopside-hedenbergite-esseneite) and are connected with pipe-like explosion structures. The paralavas are cryptocrystalline rocks that exhibit vesicular and fluidal textures. The main mineral assemblage in these rocks, identified by electron-microprobe analysis and X-ray diffraction, consists of basic plagioclase + Fe-Ti oxides + clinopyroxene + K-feldspar + tridymite ± apatite. The silica content of the paralavas is similar to that of basalt, whereas the high calcium content suggests similarity to anorthosite. The occurrence of glass in the paralava is evidence for melting. The glasses are compositionally similar to rhyolites and more acidic melts. Melting temperatures were at least 1100 °C. The presence of pipe-like explosion structures, the occurrence of melted rocks, and various geological relationships throughout the Hatrurim Basin provide evidence for a new hypothesis about the genesis of this pyrometamorphic complex. The combustion metamorphic rocks in the Hatrurim Basin in Israel formed as a result of repeated ignition of hydrocarbon gases. The setting we envisage has many geological features typical of mud-volcano provinces. The occurrence of paralavas is restricted to the areas of gas ignition.