Devastating Blaze Spawns Rare and Terrifying Fire Tornado in California

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The Park Fire continues to rage in Chico, California. Officials have arrested a 42-year-old man for starting the fire by pushing a burning vehicle into a gully. Unfortunately, justice won’t restore the more than 164,000 acres that have already burned in the devastating blaze. Yesterday evening, a rare phenomenon called a fire tornado added to the California community’s terror.

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The U.S. Forest Service defines a fire tornado or “fire whirl” as a “spinning vortex column of ascending hot air and gases rising from a fire and carrying aloft smoke, debris, and flame.” The Forest Service further clarifies that fire whirls range in size from less than 1 foot to over 500 feet in diameter. “Large fire whirls have the intensity of a small tornado,” it says.

On Thursday evening, RawsAlerts posted time-lapse video footage of the rare event on X. The video shows a huge, spinning column of billowing smoke and flames as it travels across the landscape.

Watch the fire tornado in Chico, California here:

🚨#BREAKING: A Rare phenomenon is occurring as a fire tornado know as a fire whirl is taking place from the Park wildfire ⁰
📌#Chico | #California

A rare phenomenon is currently taking place in Chico, California as a fire tornado also known as a fire whirl is occurring.… pic.twitter.com/yCypZkqgF2

— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) July 26, 2024

The U.S. Library of Congress calls fire tornadoes or “pyrogenetic tornadoes” rare atmospheric events.

Fire crews have contained 3% of the Park Fire as of Friday morning, per Cal Fire via CBS News.

Have you heard of a fire tornado?

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