The rare event occurs when a fire is whipped up by strong, dry air currents to form a vertical whirl. They can consist of a whirlwind of hot air around or within the flames or a vortex of fire itself.
Also known as “fire devils” or “fire whirls”, they can uproot trees up to 49 ft (15m).
Fire tornadoes are usually 30-200ft (10-50m) and a few meters wide, and last only a few minutes. But some of the largest can be more than a half a mile tall, contain winds over 100mph, and persist for more than 20 minutes.
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