Firefighters are working to contain a massive wildfire in southern California and Nevada that is now spawning ‘fire whirls.’
The devastating York Fire was ignited on Friday within the Mojave National Preserve. It quickly spread to cover about 125 square miles across the Mojave Desert over the weekend.
The York Fire has quickly become the largest wildfire in California so far in 2023.
The blaze was sparked in the remote Caruthers Canyon, located right in the center of the remote Mojave National Preserve. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Exacerbated by high temperatures and fire whirls, firefighters made little to no progress containing the blaze over the weekend. Only 23% of the York Fire is contained, authorities said on Tuesday.
Firefighters were only successful after a 15 minute downpour brought heavy rains to the Mojave in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
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‘While firefighters have benefitted from a cooler weather system that moved into the area and wetting rains, they still face challenges due to the terrain in which the fire is burning and the remoteness of its location,’ the Mojave National Preserve said in an update on Tuesday.
On Monday, responding crews began to observe ‘fire whirls’ spawning across the desert.
Fire whirls are occur when superheated air combines with strong winds, creating spinning columns of flames, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The Mojave National Preserve said that these phenomenon were ‘very dangerous’ for the fire crews on the ground
‘They have the potential to spread embers over long distances and can start new fires ahead of the main firefront,’ the Preserve said. ‘Additional fire whirls can change direction suddenly, making them unpredictable and difficult to anticipate.’
Smoke from the fire was also blown nearly 100 miles north to Las Vegas, where it blackened the skies above the Las Vegas Strip and caused delays at Harry Reid International Airport.
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