Firefighters battling the Trinity Fire in San Bernardino County got a glimpse of a rare phenomenon Friday.
A small tornado of ash, embers and debris, called an ash devilRemnants of the fire spewed into the air which had already been extinguished by crews.
“Ash devils are not a common phenomenon,” said Christopher Prater, public information officer for the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District. “When we see them, the level of awareness increases because of the potential danger they pose.”
Ash devils occur when heat from a fire causes hot air to rise and mix with cooler air from changing winds, a phenomenon called wind shear. The combination creates a vortex effect, which draws hot ash, embers and debris into a swirling column.
Ash devils are dangerous because they can spew hot ash and spark new fires in all directions.
However, this did not happen in this case, and the ash devil eventually broke.
“Eventually, all those elements that you initially had to start that vortex no longer line up, and they go away on their own,” Prater said.
A Video Aircraft and crews posted by the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District are shown fighting the Trinity fire, which started at 11:54 a.m. on May 1 in Phelan, San Bernardino County. After a series of fires were extinguished, the Ash Devil rose from the embers.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, San Bernardino County Fire Protection District, Victorville Fire Department and Apple Valley Fire District worked together to fight the fire, which burned 19 acres and is now 50% contained By late Saturday afternoon.
“Basically we’re extinguishing the hot spots out there, making sure the fire is safe before we’re able to call it 100% and walk away from it,” said Cal Fire spokeswoman Alison Wilkins.
He said the fire did not burn any structures, but it damaged an unknown number of Joshua trees in the area.
