A firenado, short for fire tornado, is a rare and dangerous phenomenon formed when intense heat from a wildfire causes rising air to spin into a vortex, sucking in flames, ash, and debris.
Unlike traditional tornadoes, which form from severe thunderstorms and atmospheric instability, firenadoes result from extreme heat and turbulent wind conditions on the ground.
They can reach temperatures of up to 1,000°C and generate winds exceeding 100 mph.
The term “firenado” gained widespread attention during a 2003 wildfire in Australia, although such events have been documented for over a century.
One of the most infamous occurred during the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake in Japan, where a firestorm killed over 38,000 people in Tokyo.
Firenadoes are typically short-lived but highly destructive, posing significant challenges to firefighters. Recent events in the US, Australia, and Canada have highlighted their growing frequency, likely linked to increasingly severe wildfire seasons driven by climate change.
Firefighters remain on high alert as the blaze continues to rage out of control, with officials confirming there was still 0% containment as of Sunday night.
Crews are battling against dry conditions and powerful gusts that are fuelling the flames and complicating efforts to bring the inferno under control.
