VIDEO: 'Firenado' caught on camera during Los Angeles wildfires

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Caught on camera: A 'firenado' or 'fire whirl' quickly spun up in the high heat of the Los Angeles wildfires Friday night.

During a helicopter flight from KOIN 6's sister station, KTLA in Los Angeles, a firenado was caught tearing through the dry hills of southern California.

A firenado or fire whirl forms when the high heat from the fire drives the air violently upwards. These strong updraft like winds are called the 'thermal winds' associated with a fire. These winds can also help drive the fire up a hillside. As these winds gain altitude, they can get caught up in the ambient winds. That helps give spin to the thermal winds and ultimately the flames that reach into the sky.