British Columbia fights multiple searing wildfires as a flaming tornado ravages the city.
The flaming whirlwind was spotted on August 17 in Downton Lake Wildfire at Gun Lake.
The wildfire was predicted due to the recent dry and hot weather, shortly followed by cold and fast winds, which provides perfect weather for tornadoes to occur.
“With this combination of conditions and fire behavior, fire intensity was more extreme during the overnight period, reaching intensities that hadn’t been seen even during the day.” the wildfire service said.
Trees were set ablaze and the city was also heavily damaged. The wildfire burned entire mountainsides and blazed through local buildings. Thankfully, drenching rain on Wednesday helped reduce the fire to a minimum and helped the local firefighters clear the fires easier. However, the rain was so severe that a flood warning was immediately issued. As the rain poured through the streets, “debris flows”, or floods full of debris, hit the scorched city.
Fire whirls occur when a wildfire, or firestorm, creates its own wind, which can spawn up large vortices. Bonfires are also known to create small fire whirls. Fire whirls can uproot trees, throw burning debris, and hurl flames at 140 miles per hour, which creates an extreme fire hazard. As fire tornadoes go higher, they get skinnier and spin even faster.
The largest, and most destructive fire whirl happened in 1923, Tokyo. An earthquake sparked the flames and created a fire whirl more than 3 kilometers wide, with the flames reaching 2,000 Fahrenheit. Researchers indicate that the massive fire whirl killed over 38,000 in just under 15 minutes.
For safety reasons, in case of a fire whirl, authorities recommend wearing long pants and long shirts, observing fallen power lines or gas lines, and being sure to not light up any candles.
As of Thursday, there are 374 active fires burning across the province. Ever since April 1st, according to the province’s local wildfire service, over 1,800 fires have burned about 1.6 million hectares or around 4 million acres.