Crews battle ‘fire whirls’ as part of California blaze in Mojave Desert
Fire has spread further east into Las Vegas Valley in Nevada.
Crews have battled “fire whirls” in California’s Mojave National Preserve as a massive wildfire crossed into Nevada amid dangerously high temperatures and raging winds.
The York Fire was mapped at roughly 120 square miles on Monday with no containment.
The blaze erupted on Friday near the remote Caruthers Canyon area of the vast wildland preserve, crossed the state line into Nevada on Sunday and sent smoke further east into the Las Vegas Valley.
Wind-driven flames 20ft high in some spots charred tens of thousands of acres of desert scrub, juniper and Joshua tree woodland, according to an incident update.
The vortexes – which can be anywhere from a few feet tall to several hundred feet high, with varying rotational speeds – were spotted on Sunday on the north end of the York Fire.
“While these can be fascinating to observe they are a very dangerous natural phenomena that can occur during wildfires,” the park service wrote.
Crews expected to face limited visibility due to the fire’s thick smoke. The cause of the York Fire remains under investigation.
More than 1,300 people were ordered to evacuate their homes Saturday near the community of Aguanga that is home to horse ranches and wineries.
One firefighter was injured in the blaze.
Gusty winds and the chance of thunderstorms into Tuesday will heighten the risk of renewed growth, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said in a statement.
