In the afternoon hours of July 12, 2025, a rare and significant fire tornado touched down in the La Sal mountain range near the small town of La Sal in the U.S. state of Utah. The tornado formed as part of the Deer Creek Fire, a fast moving and destructive wildfire that formed 2 days earlier on July 10. The tornado was approximately on the ground for 12 minutes and was nearly stationary as it moved in a generally southwestern direction.
Strong winds influenced the formation of the fire tornado over the Deer Creek Fire. Strong wind gusts came off the La Sal mountain range, and flowed over the mountains. The mountains disrupted the gusts, creating a body of rotation, which then began spinning into the mostly stationary fire tornado. Rugged terrain and limited road access complicated fire suppression efforts. Due to damage found at a single family home, the tornado ended up being rated an EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale.
Meteorological synopsis
The Deer Creek Fire was reported around 3 pm on July 10, estimated at 50 acres (20 ha). State Route 46 was closed, and those within 5 miles (8.0 km) of the fire were asked to evacuate. The blaze spread to an estimated 200–600 acres (81–243 ha) by that evening. Winds were gusting up to 35 miles per hour (56 km/h), with humidity as low as 6%. The fire rapidly spread, reaching 4,000 acres (1,600 ha) by the next morning. Several structures had been impacted, and the fire was driven by hot, dry, windy conditions. Crews prioritized in structure protection near the south and west edges of the perimeter. That afternoon, size increased to 6,684 acres (2,705 ha), still at 0% containment. Four homes, five outbuildings, and power infrastructure had been destroyed. Twenty homes remained threatened, and 250 residents were evacuated.The morning of July 12, northwest winds were present across the Deer Creek fire area. According to the incident meterologist's report, sustained winds were generally 4-11 miles per hour, with gusts near 20 miles per hour at noon.
The Deer Creek fire had produced a significant fire-generated convective system, a relatively rare phenomenon that forms when a sufficiently large wildfire generates strong updraft and convection.
According to research from the United States Forest Service and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, the intense convective heat coming up from the fire, and the up-canyon winds collided with northerly winds created a area of rotation in the area, which led to the formation of the La Sal fire tornado.
Tornado summary
Touchdown and peak intensity
The tornado touched down in the La Sal mountain range at approximately 1:03 PM MDT and the circulation started rapidly intensifying and began to rotate counterclockwise as it moved to the north west. The tornado was rapidly growing in speed at this point, and took a sharp south turn over Hang Dog Road.
The tornado, being at a near stationary speed hit a two-story family home at low-end EF2 intensity, ripping off most of the roof before hitting and setting fire to an outbuilding. Then, the tornado went stationary right then over a parked fire engine, where video was recorded of the inside and central core of the storm.
Dissipation After hitting and setting fire to an outbuilding, firefighters inside of a fire engine recorded the last moments of the tornado on top of them, showing the fire particles whipping around the fire engine. The tornado soon thereafter dissipated just east of Forest Road 201.
Aftermath Following the tornado's dissipation, multiple buildings that the tornado had hit caught fire, adding to the number of buildings that caught fire overall. On 11 August 2025, the fire was fully contained by Utah first responders, after a month and a day of fighting the fire. The cost of the fire supression exceeded $24 million dollars (USD). Throughout the 12 minute-duration of the tornado, no reported fatalities or injuries occurred. See also
Carr Fire tornado Deer Creek Fire Fire whirl
External links
Deer Creek Fire Pyro-Vortex RLS.pdf
References