fire storm

Yellowstone National Park: firestorm, 1988 Firestorm in Yellowstone National Park, northwestern Wyoming, U.S., 1988.

fire storm, violent convection caused by a continuous area of intense fire and characterized by destructively violent surface indrafts. Sometimes it is accompanied by tornado-like whirls that develop as hot air from the burning fuel rises. Such a fire is beyond human intervention and subsides only upon the consumption of everything combustible in the locality.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.
Citation Information
Article Title: fire storm
Website Name: Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published: 06 December 2021
Access Date: February 22, 2025