Both he and Universal Studios have had a lot of problems with the stability of model tornadoes. Therefore, he was not able to perform the tornado illusion that he originally wanted to. Instead, he had to settle for a stunt, standing in the core of a large model tornado. His vortex was not a true firewhirl. A firewhirl is composed entirely of burning debris.
His model was a large version of the kind we show you how to build in Secrets of the Tornado. He injected propane into the outer walls of an air-generated vortex. Most of the propane, and therefore the heat, was immediately centrifuged out, away from him. If it was a true firewhirl, he would have been incinerated.
There have been some deadly fire tornadoes in the past. The new book The Tornado includes the Tambora volcano-related fire tornado of April, 1815 in the Chapter 13 discussion of worldwide tornadoes.
Formation of forest fire tornadoes is discussed in Tornado Video Classics I, and a spectacular California fire vortex is shown in Tornado Video Classics III.
The deadliest forest fire vortex in US history was at Peshtigo and Williamsonville, Wisconsin, in October, 1871. Here are some web sites with more information on that incredible disaster. The last site on this list is slow to download. It contains murals from the Peshtigo Fire Museum.
The Tokyo earthquake of 1923 produced enormous fires that included spectacular vortices. This was also true of the Hamburg, Germany firestorm of World War II. During the Tokyo fire, as many as 60,000 may have died. As at Peshtigo, it is impossible to tell how many people were killed by the fire vortices and how many died in the general blaze. The fire tornadoes certainly helped to spread the blaze.
Frames Home
No-frames Home
Recent tornadoes
Tornadoes in the past Tornado Top Tens
FAQ about Tornadoes
The Fujita Scale All Tornadoes
Storm Chasing
Videos, Books and Posters Tornado Project
Tornado Oddities
Tornado Stories Tornado Safety
Favorite Sites
Tornado Myths Other Neat Stuff about Tornadoes The Storm Cellar
