The most dangerous fire whirlwind. Photo of eyewitnesses

Recently on the Internet were posted photosinteresting, but at the same time frightening natural phenomenon - a fire tornado. These unique images were made in the USA. The fiery tornado (the photo shown in the article demonstrates its destructive power) was formed at the moment when the farmer set fire to the grass in his field, and at that moment the wind swirled the tornado.

Tornado

Most of the inhabitants of our planet are already calmrefer to the usual air vortices, despite the huge destruction that they bring. Tornadoes are already firmly established in everyday life on the American continent, there even groups of extreme scientists have formed, pursuing these natural phenomena for their detailed study. However, a fiery whirlwind is a rather rare phenomenon, which is much more dangerous than a normal vortex. In this article, we will consider the reasons for its occurrence, discuss what kind of danger it poses, and recall the historical facts associated with this version of the tornado.

What is a fire vortex

Fiery whirlwind (photo is given in the article)is an atmospheric phenomenon, formed when combining disparate sources of fire. As a result, the air in it rapidly heats up, and its density decreases, as a consequence, it rises up. Its place is occupied by cold flows from peripheral areas. Arrived air is also heated and rises. It is going effect of oxygen suction, and formed a fairly stable centripetal flow, which are screwed in a spiral from the ground to the sky. This can be compared with the effect of a chimney, where the hot air pressure reaches a hurricane speed. The height of the fiery whirlwind can be five thousand meters. The temperature rises to a thousand degrees Celsius. Such a vortex draws all that is next, and so continues as long as not burn everything that can burn, after which it subsides.

The most dangerous tornado - fire

The fiery storm was the satellite of the most powerfulfires in the history of our planet. So, in 1666 this natural phenomenon was recorded during the Great Fire of London. Later, a hundred and fifty years later, in 1812 a fiery whirlwind swept over Moscow, when it was set on fire by the retreating Russian troops. The next time recorded a "red tornado" during the Great Chicago Fire, which occurred in 1871, and in 1917 in Greek Thessaloniki.

This terrible phenomenon of nature became a companionmodern wars. So, quite often it arose during the Second World War. For example, a burning tornado did business in Stalingrad in 1942. However, the biggest destruction is characterized by the "red whirlwind" that swept through the Japanese city of Kobe after its bombing in 1945 by the US Army. Then, as a result of the two-day air strikes, more than 40 square kilometers of the city's area were destroyed, and more than a hundred thousand people were killed in the infernal tornado.

Eerie chronicle

From fires suffered: London (1666, the great London fire), Moscow (1812, Moscow fire), Chicago (1871, the great Chicago fire), Thessaloniki (1917, fire in Thessaloniki). The fiery tornado that arose as a result of the bombing raided cities: Stalingrad (August 23, 1942), Wuppertal (May 20-30, 1943), Krefeld (June 21-22, 1943), Hamburg (July 28, 1943), Dresden February 13, 1945), Pforzheim (February 24, 1945), Tokyo (March 9, 1945), Hiroshima (August 6, 1945). In Nagasaki, a fiery whirlwind did not happen.

The Red Tornado in Hamburg

In order to appreciate all the power and horror of thisphenomena, we will get acquainted with the documentary description of the fiery tornado in Hamburg (1943). Between July 25 and August 3, the Royal Air Force and the US Air Force conducted a series of "carpet bombing" of this city. The largest number of human victims was recorded on July 28. Then, as a result of the appearance of the fiery tornado, more than 40,000 people died.

Detailed chronology of the fiery whirlwind in Hamburg

The first incendiary aerial bombs fell at one o'clock in the morningon the Frankenstrasse and the Spaldingstrasse. There were fires in the areas of Hammerberk, Rothenburgort and Hamm. These centers served as a reference point for aviation, and in the next 15 minutes, 2417 tons of mines, high-explosive and incendiary shells fell on these and neighboring urban areas. As a result of the bombardment, all city communications were destroyed, and fire brigades simply proved powerless against so many foci. The people were gathered into the bomb shelters. Over the city, several fire whirlwinds rose, which rushed through the streets with a terrible howl, accelerated and gained strength. In 45 minutes from the beginning of the bombardment, many small fires were combined into two powerful fires. Over them formed one huge fiery tornado. More than 130 kilometers of streets and 16,000 multi-storey houses were found in its crucible. There was a thermal cyclone, whose diameter was 3.5 kilometers, and the altitude is five kilometers, all at a temperature of 800 degrees Celsius. The fiery whirlwind was located on an area of ​​10 square kilometers. At three o'clock in the morning a continuous sea of ​​fire was formed in the districts of the Wandsbek Highway and the Berlin Gates, the height of which was 30-50 meters. The tornado reached its peak in the period from 3.00 to 3.30. At this temperature, objects flashed without direct contact with fire. Aluminum and lead products became liquid, and steel - plastic. They deformed, unable to withstand structural loads. Even the bricks melted and burned slowly, transformed under the weight of buildings and exploded into dust ... The buildings collapsed. People in the bomb shelters were just choking, as the tornado sucked out all the air. At 4.30 the wind began to subside, but the heat was still intolerable. At 6.12, in the zone of the fiery whirlwind, everything that could burn burned out. Everything in the neighborhood was like a giant hot coals. In order to begin dismantling the debris, I had to wait 10 days, since the high temperature did not allow me to approach the area. These are the consequences of the fiery tornado.

"Red tornado" over Irkutsk

December 6, 1997 in the village of aircraft buildersthere was a plane crash. On its scale, of course, it is inferior to Hamburg and others, but it does not become less frightening. The peaceful life of the settlement was disturbed by the fall of the largest production aircraft in the world - An-124 Ruslan. 130 tons of aviation fuel broke out instantaneously, and a fiery squall hit the city block. This accident is one of the largest in the 20th century. On the example of the German city, we can imagine what was happening in this village; now addresses Civic Street, house 45 in Irkutsk does not exist, but on that place stands a chapel. Subsequently, the documentary "The Fiery Whirlwind over Irkutsk" was filmed. This is a unique chronicle of the rescue operation, which also contains shots of amateur shooting, interviews with rescuers, firemen and eyewitnesses.

Fiery whirlwind in Australia

In September 2012, this is a unique phenomenonmade its adjustments on the working day of the Australian film crew. Literally in 300 meters from them the fiery whirlwind rose on 30-meter height and raged about 40 minutes. It happened near the city of Alice Springs, which is in the central part of the continent. Fiery whirlwind in Australia - a rare phenomenon, despite frequent fires that cover its territory during the summer drought. And even in this case there were no prerequisites for its occurrence: there was a complete calm, and the air temperature was only 25 degrees. According to experts, the danger of the phenomenon we are considering is its rarity and unpredictability.