A wildfire in Northern California spawned a terrifying “firenado” that could be seen on radar.
The firenado, or fire whirl, was caused by the Tennant Fire, which started June 28 in the Klamath National Forest in Siskiyou County, about 30 miles from the Oregon border.
The National Weather Service office in Medford, Oregon, posted a video of the phenomenon on Wednesday, updating it with a longer version on Thursday. The chilling images show waves of smoke and flames coming together to form a twister that hangs over firefighting equipment. The audio is a continuous roar.
In the post, NWS Medford said that an incident meteorologist who had examined the footage found “this was likely the rotation our radar was picking up on the 29th.”
The post credited the US Forest Service with taking the video.
The Tennant Fire, fueled by wind and hot temperatures, had burned about 10,580 acres by midday Saturday. It was 93 percent contained, the U.S. Forest Service said.