As part of their "Protectors of the Forest" series, Filson highlights the work done at the Missoula Fire Lab in the article "Inside the Fire Lab."
"Jason Forthofer watches the small circle of flames swirl upward into a vortex twelve feet tall, a phenomenon known as a fire whirl. In the forest, the occurrence can be deadly to wildland firefighters. On July 26, 2018, during the Carr Fire near Redding, California, a fire whirl emerged with tornado-like proportions—a circumference of 1,000 feet and wind speeds of 165mph—and overran and killed a veteran firefighter. But Forthofer doesn’t appear concerned. His fire whirl is ensconced in a large glass cylinder within a four-story tall metal warehouse known as the Burn Chamber at the Fire Sciences Laboratory in Missoula, Montana..."
Read the full article.