In recent days, an Australian film-maker captured one of nature's rarest weather events on camera, a fire tornado. The photographer, who worked for Alice Springs Film and Television, was out in the Australian Outback searching for film locations when he spotted the twister made of flames.
Onlookers were in awe watching the 100-foot-high whirlwind of fire as it tore around a patch of the Australian Outback. Fire tornadoes are also known as fire whirls or fire devils.
They form when a warm, rotating and rising column of air picks up a wildfire. Fire tornadoes are thought to last only around two minutes but this twister lasted some 40 minutes. The photographer said that it sounded like a fighter jet. He called it a 100-foot "firenado".
Australia has had a good number of brushfires over the years that have ruined it's wild lands, but these fire tornadoes are extremely rare.
Meteorologist, Kelly Foster
