An immense swirling flame of destruction descended on Northern California as part of this summer’s destructive wildfires, according to state officials who this week unveiled video footage of the deadly fire tornado.
The smoke-and-fire tornado covered about 1,000 feet of ground as it raced through the drylands about 200 miles north of San Francisco, according to a report by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, NBC News reported.
The report said the blazing behemoth rose about 7.5 miles into the sky and reached speeds of up to 165 mph with temperatures that probably topped 2,700 degrees.
A record-breaking fire tornado measuring 1,000 feet wide killed a Northern California firefighter who ended his vacation early to battle the blaze. Story: https://t.co/jMBNw0d49o pic.twitter.com/x0xtJrpUWq
— AP West Region (@APWestRegion) August 16, 2018
“The swirling winds at the base of the plume dramatically increased fire intensity. The rotating plume continued to intensify until it developed into a fire tornado,” the report said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “Winds dramatically increased near the fire tornado, and embers were lofted in many directions.”
The report said that based on the evidence left behind, there may have been more than one fire tornado.
“Observations from witnesses and other evidence suggest that either several fire tornadoes occurred at different locations and times, or one fire tornado formed and then periodically weakened and strengthened causing several separate damage areas,” the report said, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. – READ MORE
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