Flames from the California wildfires are so high are creating their own weather
Flames from the California wildfires are so high they are creating their own weather - including FIRENADOS with winds so strong they can 'flip cars like toys'
The wildfire tearing through northern California is so hot it's formed its own weather system, with strong winds creating a phenomenon known as 'firenados'.
Stunning images show smoke from the Carr Fire standing up in a giant column above Shasta County as it rages on for the sixth day in a row, leaving two firefighters dead and destroying 500 homes, as officials warned another 5,000 properties are still threatened.
On top of the blaze itself, people in the area now have to look out for firenados as well, which occur when high temperatures drive the air upward, creating gusts of wind in three directions and advancing the fire's spread.
The firenado winds are so strong they can flip cars ‘like toys, according to fire service spokesman Scott McLean.
The fire began on Monday with a mechanical failure of a vehicle and grew completely out of control on Thursday, tearing through two small communities and reaching the city of Redding.
Tens of thousands of people fled the city in fear of their lives from the blaze.
In the small northern California community of Keswick, only a handful of homes remain.
On Saturday morning, some 3,400 firefighters on the ground and in helicopters continued to battle the 48,300-acre fire as it ripped through the Redding, while blazes continued to rage elsewhere in the state.
At the height of the blaze on Thursday a firenado sent large, fiery chunks of debris into the air, landing on buildings, homes and trees.