Firefighters near Vanderhoof were taken by surprise It’s been a record-breaking fire season across B.C. but even as the weather cools down, Mother Nature proved she had one last burst in her. Wildland firefighters battling a blaze near Vanderhoof came across a “fire tornado,” which was posted to Instagram Sunday. “Fire tornado destroyed our line. It threw burning logs across our guard for 45 minutes and pulled our hose 100 plus [feet] in the air before melting it,” the post from user Mar.lowsky. “That’s definitely a first.”<doc-sep>Share this Story: Video: Watch B.C. firefighters battle a fire tornado near Vanderhoof Video: Watch B.C. firefighters battle a fire tornado near Vanderhoof Photo by Instagram Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “Fire tornado destroyed our line. It threw burning logs across our guard for 45 minutes and pulled our hose 100 plus ft in the air before melting it. That’s definitely a first,” wrote Mary Schidlowsky on her Instagram post. The video was captured Aug. 19 near Vanderhoof while crews were fighting the Chutanli Lake fire. B.C. Wildfire information officer Kevin Skrepnek says the phenomenon known as a “fire whirl” can occur when high winds interact with a fire. “When that combines with the rising heat off the fire it can create a kind of eddy and it’s going to pick up some of the combustible gases, some of the smoke, sometimes the debris in the area as well,” he said in an interview. Skrepnek said it’s not actually a tornado, but more similar to a water spout or dust devil that lasts a few seconds. “Typically a fire whirl won’t be as large and won’t last as long as what you’re seeing in that clip,” he said. View this post on Instagram Dirt, sweat and ash hiding the oncoming crash #exhaustionisreal #wildlandfirefighter A post shared by M. C. Schidlowsky (@mar.lowsky) on Sep 11, 2018 at 6:04pm PDT Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content In July, Jeremy Stoke, a firefighter who was battling a wildfire near Redding, California, was killed by a fire tornado that measured about 300 metres wide at its base and shot approximately 12 kilometres into the sky with temperatures that likely exceeded 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit. With Associated Press and Canadian Press files Share this article in your social network Latest National Stories Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Vancouver Sun Headline News Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Vancouver Sun, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address. By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it please check your junk folder. The next issue of Vancouver Sun Headline News will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again Trending<doc-sep>A video posted to Instagram shows an unreal scene of a fire tornado pulling the hose of a B.C. wildfire crew high into the air. Three firefighters are seen struggling to control the hose as it is sucked toward the flames, while a spinning vortex of fire appears metres away. Warning: video contains profanity Firefighter Mary Schidlowsky shot and posted the video of the Aug. 18 fire tornado, which formed southwest of Vanderhoof, B.C., near Chutanli Lake, and was almost 60 metres high. "Fire tornado destroyed our line. It threw burning logs across our guard for 45 minutes and pulled our hose 100 plus ft. in the air before melting it," she wrote in the post. "That's definitely a first." B.C. Wildfire information officer Forrest Tower said the tornado was caused by the heat rising off the wildfire in combination with extremely high winds. "It's like a dust devil or a fire whirl — it sucks in the debris and that's what makes it a fire tornado," he said. "They do happen but they are very rare. It's kind of cool she was able to capture one on video." Read more from CBC British Columbia<doc-sep>A B.C. firefighter captured video of what appears to be a fire tornado sucking up a hose. Instagram user M.C. Schidlowsky posted the video of the twister to her account on Saturday. “Fire tornado destroyed our line,” Schidlowsky wrote. “It threw burning logs across our guard for 45 minutes and pulled our hose 100 plus feet in the air before melting it.” The hose can be seen disappearing. One of the exasperated firefighters then throws a rock at it. The video was posted from Vanderhoof, B.C., which is about 100 kilometres west of Prince George. It’s unclear when or where it was recorded. Schidlowsky writes that the tornado was over 200 feet (61 metres) tall. B.C. has experienced one of its worst fire seasons on record, with at least 13,300 square kilometres burned in more than 2,000 fires since April. As of Monday, there were 342 wildfires burning in the province, according to the BC Wildfire Service.<doc-sep>
Send this page to someone via email For some B.C. residents it may seem like the wildfire season is over for this year, but fire crews are still battling blazes across the province. Video captured and posted to social media shows firefighters dealing with a huge blaze near Vanderhoof on Aug. 19, including a fire whirl or fire tornado. The firefighters were battling the Chutanli Lake wildfire, currently estimated at 20,813 hectares. It is now 95 per cent contained. The video, posted on Instagram, was shot by a wildland firefighter, who is part of the Mackenzie Unit Crew. “Fire tornado destroyed our line,” she writes. “It threw burning logs across our guard for 45 minutes and pulled our hose 100-plus [feet] in the air before melting it. That’s definitely a first.” In the video, a firefighter can be seen grabbing their hose, which is being pulled high into the air by the fire. A second firefighter rushes in to help. Story continues below advertisement The firefighters struggle to grab the hose as it flaps around high in the air. Next, the video shows the fire tornado, which apparently grew to over 200 feet tall. There is little the firefighters can do but look on at the rotating column of air and flames. A fire tornado, which can also be called a fire devil, consists of a burning core of flames and a whirling pocket of air. It can suck in burning debris and gas and typically last a few minutes, although some last longer. It is unknown how long this one lasted near Vanderhoof.