Could you imagine the destruction caused by a fire or a tornado? What about both of them together? It's not as rare you might think. It happens at least once a year in the US.
Depending on air currents and temperature, the rotating vortex an ordinary tornado forms from can suck up fire and anything burning, resulting in the effects you see in the pictures here.
In 1923, a fire tornado sucked up not only fire and burning embers, but 38,000 people within 15 minutes. Lightening can typically be the source of ignition, after striking something flammable like a pool of gasoline or oil storage tanks. With the right wind speeds, the fire soon begins to form a tornadic vortex that burns and levels anything in it's path.
These dangerous fire tornadoes, or fire whirls, as sometimes called, can uproot a 49 foot tall tree - the equivalent of a five story building. Ranging from 10 to 15 meters tall and a few feet wide, they may last only a few minutes, according to this source.
The core of the fire tornado is an invisible pocket of oxygen that feeds the eddie. The core can be at temperatures of at least 2,000 degrees Farenheit. Wildfires are usually the spark that starts these types of tornadoes to form.
The heat from these enormous fire beasts is enough to reignite ash or other smoldering debris. But, again, the main source of life is a rich source of oxygen. Though they aren't stationary, they usually move slowly, at around the walking speed of most people.
Large fire tornadoes can reach up to 160 miles per hour according to this source.
There is no way to extinguish a fire tornado due to their sheer velocity and unique structure. Recently, a fire tornado claimed 1,400 acres of the Big Island of Hawaii. See a video of the fire tornado in Hawaii here.
It would be a true treat to see one of these big guys in action! Anywhere there is enormous heat, wind and humidity, one of these will surely form. However exciting they are for all of us, they are a nightmare for fire fighters. There's nothing they can do to extinguish these bad boys once they have started. They must be allowed to burn themselves out.