fire tornado

American  

[fahyuhr tawr-ney-doh] / ˈfaɪər tɔrˌneɪ doʊ /

noun

Meteorology.

plural

fire tornadoes, fire tornados

1. a flaming tornado generated by intense wildfire, rarer, much larger, and more destructive than a fire whirl.

   It may have begun from the ground as a fire whirl, but it now raged with a cloud-to-ground ferocity that could only belong to an actual fire tornado.

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Etymology

Origin of fire tornado

First recorded in 1845–50

Example Sentences

A fire whirl — sometimes called a fire tornado — is a “spinning column of fire” that forms when intense heat and turbulent winds combine, according to the National Park Service.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 31, 2023

In July, that fire got out of control, destroyed 23 buildings and spawned a fire tornado near Markleeville, a tiny unincorporated town.

From New York Times • Jan. 3, 2022

On Sunday, the National Weather Service tweeted a video of a fire tornado, or "fire whirl," from San Diego County's 1,500-acre Chaparral Fire.

From Fox News • Aug. 30, 2021

The heat of the flames was so intense that it spawned a fire tornado.

From Salon • Aug. 2, 2021

The wizards are too busy fleeing the fire tornado to pay us any mind.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas