Jaw-dropping 'fire tornado' caught on camera during US blaze

A US man battling a devastating bushfire has captured a rarely-documented “fire tornado” on camera.

The huge blaze, dubbed the Soda Fire, burned a staggering 280,000 acres over the weekend along the border of Idaho and Oregon.

Firefighter Craig Fluer captured the common but scarcely-filmed phenomena on Saturday as he worked with crews to contain the fire.

“This sucker was shooting flames 100 ft [30 metres] in the air before it passed right in front of the line, all while dropping hot dirt and ash on our helmets,” Mr Fluer wrote on Instagram.

Fire tornadoes – also known as fire whirls or firenadoes – form when heat from a fire causes surround air to rise rapidly and gather momentum.

The Soda Fire was the largest of a number of fires which torched much of the country’s north-west, fanned by dry ground and strong winds.

It is now around 90 percent contained thanks to the work of around 700 firefighters and no human lives have been lost, although the results to livestock and farms are expected to be costly.

Around 7 million acres of US land has been burned by fires in 2015 alone.