Violent fire vortex sucks up a firehose in dramatic video. What happened?

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Thousands of miles away from the deadly deluges brought by the now-tropical depression Florence, wildland firefighters are still battling extreme blazes out West. 

An intense video posted to Instagram on Sunday shows a firefighting crew’s violent meeting with a large fire vortex, known scientifically as a fire whirl. 

Wildland firefighter M.C. Schidlowsky — whose Instagram handle is mar.lowsky — posted the video taken in British Columbia, showing the vortex sucking a firehose up into the churning winds. 

The crew was powerless to pull the heavy hose back. One firefighter, after the vortex ripped the hose away, hurled a rock at the fire, seemingly in frustration. Read more…

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View More Violent fire vortex sucks up a firehose in dramatic video. What happened?