Caught on camera:
The 30 meter high tornado of FIRE that whirled around Australian outback
for a terrifying 40 minutes.
Fire tornadoes occur when a column of warm, rising air contacts with - or
creates - fire on the ground.
An astonished filmmaker is coming to grips with the moment he witnessed one of nature's rarest
phenomenon's - a tornado comprised entirely of fire and lived to tell the tale.
Chris Tangey had been out in Alice Springs , Australia , scouting locations for a new movie.
After finishing the task, he went over to help workers at a cattle station when he was confronted by
one of nature's most intimidating spectacles.
Distant view:
At the time, he was 300 meters away from the 30-meter high fire swirl which 'sounded like a fighter jet' despite
there being no wind in the area
SCIENCE BEHIND THE STORM
These fire tornadoes are a natural rarity, but when they occur they predictably cause significant damage.
A fire tornado, also know as a fire devil, is caused when a column of warm, rising air comes into contact -
or causes - a fire on the ground.
These fire whirls are known to last for around two minutes on the very rare occasions they take place, but
Mr. Tangey found himself mesmerized by the tornado for more than 40 minutes.
The 52-year-old said: 'The weather was perfectly still and it was about 25 degrees Celsius - it was an
entirely uneventful day. 'Then the next thing a man is yelling 'what the hell is that?' and I turned around and
saw a 30-meter fire tornado. My jaw just dropped.' Mr. Tangey, who runs Alice Springs Film and Television,
in central Australia , described it as a 'once in ten lifetimes experience'.
Brewing storm: The fire whirl occurred in the Australian outback as the red cliffs show the area's
trademark look
Dangerous conditions: The dry heat in the area made it possible for such a rare fire storm
to occur
Thankfully the fire tornado occurred in the remote Australian outback and no injuries were reported
He added: 'I've been shooting in the outback for 23 years and I have never seen anything like it. We've
heard about them but they're never seen.
'If I had known what was about to happen then I would have happily paid $1,000 to watch it.
'At any time there were three different tornadoes, it just kept going and going for 40 minutes.
'The whole experience was staggering and the length and variety were astonishing.'
Predictably, these rare spectacles are extremely dangerous.
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The 30 meter high tornado of FIRE that whirled around Australian outback
for a terrifying 40 minutes.
Fire tornadoes occur when a column of warm, rising air contacts with - or
creates - fire on the ground.
An astonished filmmaker is coming to grips with the moment he witnessed one of nature's rarest
phenomenon's - a tornado comprised entirely of fire and lived to tell the tale.
Chris Tangey had been out in Alice Springs , Australia , scouting locations for a new movie.
After finishing the task, he went over to help workers at a cattle station when he was confronted by
one of nature's most intimidating spectacles.
Distant view:
At the time, he was 300 meters away from the 30-meter high fire swirl which 'sounded like a fighter jet' despite
there being no wind in the area
SCIENCE BEHIND THE STORM
These fire tornadoes are a natural rarity, but when they occur they predictably cause significant damage.
A fire tornado, also know as a fire devil, is caused when a column of warm, rising air comes into contact -
or causes - a fire on the ground.
These fire whirls are known to last for around two minutes on the very rare occasions they take place, but
Mr. Tangey found himself mesmerized by the tornado for more than 40 minutes.
The 52-year-old said: 'The weather was perfectly still and it was about 25 degrees Celsius - it was an
entirely uneventful day. 'Then the next thing a man is yelling 'what the hell is that?' and I turned around and
saw a 30-meter fire tornado. My jaw just dropped.' Mr. Tangey, who runs Alice Springs Film and Television,
in central Australia , described it as a 'once in ten lifetimes experience'.
Brewing storm: The fire whirl occurred in the Australian outback as the red cliffs show the area's
trademark look
Dangerous conditions: The dry heat in the area made it possible for such a rare fire storm
to occur
Thankfully the fire tornado occurred in the remote Australian outback and no injuries were reported
He added: 'I've been shooting in the outback for 23 years and I have never seen anything like it. We've
heard about them but they're never seen.
'If I had known what was about to happen then I would have happily paid $1,000 to watch it.
'At any time there were three different tornadoes, it just kept going and going for 40 minutes.
'The whole experience was staggering and the length and variety were astonishing.'
Predictably, these rare spectacles are extremely dangerous.
Mark as ▼
Move to ▼
