Huge ‘firenado’ caught on camera as firefighters battle blaze in California

Rare ‘fire devil’ captured on film during inferno in Los Angeles County

A so-called “fire tornado” has broken out during a vast wildfire in California spanning nearly 150 acres.

Firefighters in the north of the state were already tackling the huge McKinney Fire, which has ravaged more than 60,000 acres in the Klamath National Forest, killed four people and razed scores of buildings since it began 13 days ago.

But some 200 firefighters were also called on Wednesday to a huge inferno, dubbed the Sam Fire, which broke out in Los Angeles County.

A news helicopter visiting the scene of the vast bush fire in Gorman captured footage of a rare “fire whirl” forming within the flames, published by the KTLA5 station.

These fire tornados, or “fire devils” as they are also known, “tell the story of dry, receptive fuels and erratic winds from intense surface heating”, the air operations department of the county’s fire service said.

In its most recent update, just prior to 10pm local time, Los Angeles County Fire Department said the blaze was holding at 150 acres and was at 60 per cent containment.

“Crews will remain on scene throughout the evening and tomorrow ensuring that all hot spots are extinguished,” the fire service said.

There was no damage to homes or reports of injuries at the time of the update.

A fire tornado is captured on film during the Sam Fire (KTLA5 screengrab)

Helicopters have been used to drop water on the fires, and footage captured this tactic being used upon one of the fire whirls.

These twister-like formations are created when hot air surges upwards and enters a spiral, collecting embers, smoke and ash as it does so.

Fire devils are rare, but have been spotted more often in recent years as the climate emergency causes wildfires to become more frequent.

At least three were spotted in California in 2020, one of which prompted the US National Weather Service to issue its first-ever fire tornado warning, NPR reports.

While blame for these forest fires can also be attributed in part to potentially flawed land management techniques and an increase in the number of people living there, a 2016 study found that more than half of the acres burned in the western US in recent decades can be attributed to climate breakdown.