The wildfire—one the few to burn more than 100,000 acres this summer—is burning on the more remote North Rim 11 miles away.

Pyrocumulus cloud forms over Kilauea volcano, December 25 Sometimes if you have a volcano or wildfire, a pyrocumulus cloud will form overhead. These are also known as flammagenitus or fire clouds.

The Thomas fire created a huge pyrocumulus cloud in December 2017. The Mountain View fire that largely destroyed the small town of Walker, Calif., this week gave rise to a similar phenomenon.

Blazes in California in 2020 and in the years before have created multiple pyrocumulus clouds, with the Creek Fire in the Fresno area generating a mighty pyrocumulonimbus cloud last fall.

Pyrocumulus clouds can also increase wildfire spotting, which is when a fire produces sparks or embers that are carried by the wind and start new blazes beyond the zone of the main one.

Pyrocumulus clouds are associated with fires or volcanic activity and they form when intense heat pushes air high into the atmosphere. The cloud that took shape this week over the fire east of ...

Videos circulating on social media Thursday show the fire generating massive pyrocumulus clouds — also known as pyroclouds or "fire clouds." ...