fire tornado

[fahyuhr tawr-ney-doh]

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of fire tornado¹

First recorded in 1845–50

Example Sentences

Your renters or homeowners insurance can provide coverage if it’s damaged in a fire, tornado or hurricane.

From Salon

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

From Literature

Driving south along the coast, they made their way to the east side of the island, watching as flames leapt across the landscape in what looked like a "fire tornado," she said.

From Salon

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

A growing brush fire near Gorman on Wednesday evening produced an apparent “fire tornado,” footage captured by a television news helicopter showed.

From Los Angeles Times