Furious firenado becomes whirling waterspout along the Colorado River

Now this is what you call fire and fury.

Dramatic video posted to YouTube on Sunday showed a firenado, or a whirling column of fire, shifting just a short distance to the waters of the Colorado River and becoming a waterspout.

Coverage of firenadoes on Globalnews.ca:

5:13 Using ‘firenadoes’ to clean oil spills

• Using ‘firenadoes’ to clean oil spills
• Firenado in Oregon caught on camera
• Rare ‘Firenado’ caught on camera in California

Previous Video

Next Video

The video was taken by a couple who were in Blythe, Calif. at the time.

Get daily National news

Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you'll never miss the day's top stories.

Sign up for daily National newsletter Get Started

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

It showed flames from a wildfire first twirling on land and sending up a massive column of smoke before they shifted to the water as the couple watched from their vehicle.

“The branches from the thing, it’s pulling them up into the air!” a man’s voice exclaimed as the waterspout formed in the video.

“We may have to go.”

Share this on X Click to share quote on X: "We may have to go."

A firenado is a natural phenomenon that happens when hot air at the base of a fire rises through a pocket of air that’s cooler and then creates a swirling vortex.

It’s distinct from a fire tornado (pyro-tornadogenesis) — literally a tornado that’s generated by a fire.

READ MORE: Firenado? Unlike a sharknado, it’s a real thing

The first documented fire tornado was confirmed by Australian researchers in 2012.

• With files from Nicole Mortillaro