Watch the video here:
As per the US Forest Service, the fire vortex, also known as a firenado or pyrogenetic tornado, is a “spinning vortex column of ascending hot air and gases rising from a fire and carrying aloft smoke, debris and flame.”These events typically range in diameter from 1 to 500 feet, although they can be much larger and stronger.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, they are created when “highly unstable, superheated, dry air near the ground breaks through the boundary layer and shoots upward in a swirling motion.”
As of Monday, the Deer Creek Fire remained 0% contained, with approximately 300 personnel assigned to fight the fire. All residents north of State Route 46 between Upper 2 Mile Road and the Utah-Colorado state line are under evacuation orders. Investigators are still determining the cause of the fire, which damaged at least nine properties, including four residences.
The wildfire season in Utah has been particularly active, with over 71,000 acres burned this year, just 20,000 acres short of what burned all of last year, FOX 13 reported.
Battalion Chief Riley Pilgrim of the Unified Fire Authority noted that this could be one of the driest spells seen in over 25 years. With multiple fires burning across Utah, firefighters are working diligently to contain the blazes.
The Deer Creek Fire, which began on July 10 in eastern Utah, has crossed the state line into Colorado, state fire authorities announced on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Monroe Canyon Fire has now burned over 5,028 acres and remains 0% contained, as evacuation orders remain in effect. As per the latest information from the US Forest Service- Dixie National Forest, firefighters battling the Forsyth Fire have contained 77% of the fire, ABC4 reported.
