Scientists are investigating a whirling vortex of smoke observed in the “Park Fire” in California to determine if it was a rare fire tornado or an example of extreme fire behavior. The rotating column of smoke seen on video is not the fire tornado itself but may have contained one. Evidence such as radar data and reports of strong winds from firefighters nearby suggest the presence of a fire tornado. The video shows rotating vortices, similar to those seen in fire tornadoes from previous fires. The Park Fire has grown rapidly, fueled by record-breaking temperatures and dry vegetation. Fire tornadoes are generated by intense wildfires interacting with the environment around them, creating pyrocumulonimbus clouds. Intense wildfires can reach temperatures of up to 1400 degrees and create their own weather. Fire whirls are smaller rotating tendrils of flames or smoke that occur along the edges of fires. The increase in documented fire tornado events may be due to the prevalence of cameras capturing such events. Confirmation of a fire tornado typically involves surveying wind damage, but so far no reports of wind damage on the active fire scene have been received. Scientists believe that with the intensification of fires, exotic events like fire tornadoes may become more common.
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