Wildfire spawned an intense fire-induced tornado, experts confirm

The tornado produced EF-2 damage to homes in the area

A wildfire in eastern Utah spawned a fire-induced tornado on July 12, experts with the U.S. National Weather Service confirmed on Wednesday.

The tornado occurred during the Deer Creek Wildfire burning near La Sal, Utah, located about 40 kilometres southeast of the popular tourist town of Moab.

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Fire-Induced Tornado Damage Utah July 12 2025

An expert survey of the damage found that the tornado grew about 91 metres wide and remained nearly stationary during the 12 minutes it was on the ground.

Several homes in the area received damage. One lost most of its roof, prompting an EF-2 rating with estimated peak winds reaching nearly 200 km/h.

No injuries were reported as a result of the tornado’s damage.

Fire-induced tornadoes are extremely rare. It’s much more common for the intense heat of a wildfire to produce fire whirls, which form in a similar manner to dust devils as columns of rising air begin to rapidly rotate.

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Fire-Induced Tornado Utah Radar Image July 12 2025

RELATED: Experts confirm huge B.C. blaze spawned a fire-generated tornado

Some wildfires grow so intense that they create pyrocumulonimbus clouds—a thunderstorm generated by the blaze itself.

These fire-generated thunderstorms can produce lightning that sparks even more blazes nearby. Under the right conditions, these localized storms are capable of producing a fire-induced tornado.

The Northern Tornadoes Project confirmed a fire-induced tornado occurred in British Columbia during a wildfire back in August 2023.

South of the border, blazes in California have produced at least one significant fire-induced tornado in recent years—an EF-3 tornado during July 2018’s Carr Fire. Strong rotation within fire-generated thunderstorms have also prompted forecasters to issue tornado warnings for nearby communities.

Header image courtesy of Jason Kirks/U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

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