The right mix of weather conditions on the West Coast led to a swirling tornado of flames over the weekend.
A wildfire began northeast of Loyalton, California, near Lake Tahoe, and a massive cloud known as a pyrocumulonimbus formed as it incinerated miles of earth, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The result was a “firenado,” also referred to as fire swirls.
“It’s applying our traditional knowledge of tornadoes to a rare phenomenon,” Ohio meteorologist Ben Gelber said. “It’s so unusual. It’s a little difficult to wrap our heads around. Of course, the towering clouds created by fires, we’ve all seen that. But the tornadic feature or multiple fire whirls — that’s just incredible.”
@NWSReno Looks like there was a touchdown associated with that tornado warning from the #LoyaltonFire pic.twitter.com/uJkWltURqn
— Geoffrey Burtner (@DVRockJockey) August 16, 2020
The National Weather Service in Reno, Nevada, issued a warning over the weekend about an “extremely dangerous situation.”
The statement said to expect “extreme fire behavior with strong outflow winds capable of downing trees and starting new fires” and warned residents to take cover in a basement or lower floor of a sturdy building.
As of Sunday, the wildfire, which has affected over 36,000 acres of land, is 5% contained. Fire crews are seen on video assisting on roads near the fire.
⚠️CLOSE CALL. #TMFR Brush Engine 44 on scene earlier today as #LoyaltonFire jumped HWY 395 with vehicles stuck on the road. The crew provided protection and got the vehicles out of harms way. No injuries. pic.twitter.com/iDTWzXo7Y8
— Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue (@TMFPD) August 16, 2020
