Fire and weather scientists are still marveling at a strange and terrifying anomaly that was seen in Carr Fire. At its peak the fire generated what some people call a “firenado”. The National Weather Service calls it a fire whirl, and they say the vortex spinning in west Redding created winds in excess of 143 miles an hour. The tornado vortex remained intact as it moved away from the inferno, shearing off roofs and uprooting large trees.