B.C. fire-generated tornado confirmed by experts in Gun Lake area

A video of an intense tornado during a wildfire in B.C. went viral in August, and now experts say it was generated by fire.

Experts with the Northern Tornadoes Project said it is the first fire-generated tornado they have recorded.

“Though the terminology in this area of science is still developing, it should be pointed out that this intense vortex was not a brief, fire-filled ‘fire whirl’ but an actual tornado that is sometimes referred to as a pyro-tornado (or pyrotornado),” Northern Tornadoes Project staff said in a release.

“This is the first such fire-generated tornado recorded by NTP, and appears to be the most thoroughly documented fire-generated tornado so far in Canada.”

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The video was captured in the morning of Aug. 18, on the shore of Gun Lake, north of Pemberton.

The environmental anomaly met all the definitions of a typical tornado but it was not as intense as a fire-generated thunderstorm as no lightning was detected.

It is unclear how much damage the fire tornado caused by itself, however, the Downton Lake wildfire destroyed dozens of properties in the area and forced weeks-long evacuations.