CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Brush fire spawns ‘firenado,’ ‘smokenado’

Published: Aug. 11, 2022 at 1:07 PM EDT|Updated: Aug. 11, 2022 at 1:12 PM EDT

GORMAN, Calif. (CNN) - Hot, dry and windy conditions combined at the site of an already challenging brush fire to reveal two intense and rare fire phenomena.

A serious situation turned surreal in Southern California when firefighters witnessed a “firenado” and a “smokenado” spawned from the same brush fire.

The brush fire, called the Sam Fire, started near Gorman, California, and quickly spread to nearly 150 acres. No structures were threatened, but more than 200 firefighters fought the blaze.

Strong winds whipped wisps of flames into a whirling inferno known as a “firenado.”

The funnel of fire continued to churn, visually charting the movement of the winds with flames.

Eventually, the blaze was brought under control.

The strong winds continued creating yet another wildfire phenomenon: a towering “smokenado” that reached upward into the sky.

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