The view from Redding on that Thursday night was terrifying.
A thick curtain of smoke got between the city and the setting sun, and flames seemed to leap from ground to sky. Scientists have confirmed that there really was a "firenado" as the Carr Fire brought its destruction into town.
Daniel Swain at the Center for Climate Science at UCLA has been looking at the data. Ryan Sandler at the National Weather Service in Medford knows how things usually work in the atmosphere.They join us with some interpretations.