Super-heated air creates 'fire clouds' over western wildfires

PORTLAND - Smoke and heat from a massive wildfire in southeastern Oregon created giant "fire clouds" over the blaze - dangerous columns of smoke and ash that can reach up to 6 miles in the sky and are visible from more than 100 miles away.

Authorities put these clouds at the top of the list of the extreme fire behavior they saw on the Bootleg Fire, one of the largest wildfires in Oregon's recorded history. The inferno covered nearly 650 square miles - larger than the size of New York City - as it raged through a part of the U.S. West that is enduring a historic drought.

Meteorologists also spo...

 
 

Reader Comments(0)