Fire whirl observed above volatile fire near Chico’s Park

Amidst the state’s largest wildfire of the year doubling in size Thursday evening, a spectacular and frightening sight unfolded above the explosive flames near Chico – a firenado. The phenomenon of a firenado, a tornado-like whirl of fire, was captured on video by AlertCalifornia wildfire cameras, showcasing the extreme fire behavior driving the massive and fast-moving Park fire across Butte and Tahoma counties.

The Park fire, which has now grown past 178,000 acres as of Friday afternoon, has led to thousands of evacuations and the destruction of more than 100 buildings. Officials have confirmed that the fire, which started in Chico on Wednesday, was the result of an act of arson.

Courtney Carpenter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento, explained, “At this point the fire is kind of creating its own weather, and that can be pretty unpredictable. Really big, explosive wildfires can create thunderstorms, they can make whirling fire plumes that can mimic tornadoes.” Meteorologists observed massive, rotating smoke plumes on the radar Thursday night – a clear sign of “explosive fire growth.”

Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA, described the powerful nature of the Park fire, noting its “super-cell thunderstorm-like characteristics” and the rare and intense smoke rotations it produced. He also emphasized the increasing frequency and magnitude of extreme fire behavior due to climate change, with large wildfires capable of generating their own severe weather systems similar to thunderstorms.

In light of these dangerous phenomena, Carpenter stressed the importance of following evacuation orders issued by local officials. More than 4,000 individuals have been evacuated from communities in and around northeast Chico and parts of southern Tehama County. While the weather service does not issue tornado warnings for fire whirls, residents in these areas should remain vigilant and prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.