Spinning fire comes in three rough forms:
- Fire-whirls – these are relatively small on the ground but can reach hundreds of metres into the air, like a dust devil or willy-willy
- Fire-generated tornadoes – stronger than fire-whirls, these tornado-strength vortices that form during a fire are commonly known as “firenadoes”
- Supercell bushfire thunderstorms – the biggest and most dangerous form of fire rotation, when the whole bushfire thunderstorm itself spins
“We know fire-whirls exist, they can be up to a few hundred metres high,” said Nick McCarthy, who studies the interaction of bushfires and thunderstorms at the University of Queensland.
Article submitted by, A Non Ymous.