The stream of smoke is also visible from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES). The GeoColor imagery below is a six-hour time-lapse view of the Pacific Southwest from Saturday that "looks approximately as it would when viewed with human eyes from space," according to the NOAA.

Check out this video of what is a “fire whirl” or as many often refer to it, “fire tornado”. This phenomenon actually is not a tornado and occurs during large wildfires when rising hot air combines with the “whirling” wind causing the fire to form a shape like a column.