Massive fire tornado tears through Redding, Calif.
A fire tornado was caught on camera on July 26 in Redding, California as the Carr Fire entered the city.
The fire tornado spawned by the devastating Carr Fire in California last month killed a firefighter as he was trying to evacuate residents, according to a report released Wednesday.
The 18-page report from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention obtained by FOX40 said the fire tornado on July 26 had wind speeds between 136 and 165 mph, equal to that of an EF-3 tornado, and was estimated to be 1,000 feet in diameter at its base.
The fire tornado, inside of which temperatures peaked at 2,700 degrees, left a trail of damaged trees, rooftops, power line towers, cars and a steel shipping container.
"The swirling winds at the base of the plume dramatically increased fire intensity. The rotating plume continued to intensify until it developed into a fire tornado," Cal Fire noted in the report. "Winds dramatically increased near the fire tornado, and embers were lofted in many directions. The fire front exhibited erratic and rapid growth during this period."
'FIRE TORNADO' REACHED 143 MPH AS IT CAUSED PATH OF DESTRUCTION IN SCORCHED CALIFORNIA
The report also noted Jeremy Stoke, a fire prevention inspector with the Redding Fire Department, was killed when he drove into the path of the fire tornado around 7:30 p.m. Stoke radioed out a Mayday and said he needed a water drop in the area before he became unreachable.
The fire tornado had temperatures inside that peaked at 2,700 degrees, according to a fire agency. (PCP Fire)
The agency released videos of the massive tornado tearing through Redding as fires raged nearby.
Earlier this month, the National Weather Service and Cal Fire’s Serious Accident Review team said the rotating column of fire, induced by intense rising heat and turbulent winds, caused power line towers to collapse, uprooted several trees and removed tree bark.
At least eight people have died in the Carr Fire, including three firefighters. More than 1,000 homes have been destroyed by the blaze, which reached 214,527 acres as of Thursday and is 71 percent contained.
Fox News' Chris Irvine contributed to this report.
