This video, below, of extreme fire behavior was posted by Shane Fitzsimmons, the Commissioner of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service in Australia. It shows a fire whirl, sometimes incorrectly called a fire tornado. Fire tornados exist, but they are much, much larger and can last for up to an hour or so and average 100 to 1,000 feet in diameter with rotational velocities up to 90 MPH.
Video taken yesterday by Group Captain Andrew Macdonald, with the Macarthur Strike Team, whilst patroling a back burn on the Wallangarra Fire.
Shows just how challengeing some of the fireline conditions are for crews working in the very dry, hot and windy conditions. #NSWRFS pic.twitter.com/IZA4crCg9j— Shane Fitzsimmons (@RFSCommissioner) February 19, 2019
