Firefighters captured the incredible moment a rare dust devil span its way through a field in County Durham.
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service responded to a wildfire at Scripton Gill, Brandon on Thursday afternoon when they spotted the rare phenomenon. A dust devil is a strong but relatively short-lived whirlwind, ranging from small to large.
The tornado-like forms are usually harmless but can look quite intimidating if you ever come across one. Dust devils are more common in desert or arid landscapes where there is hot and dry weather but are rarely seen in Britain.
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The fire service spotted the amazing phenomenon after extinguishing the wildfires and shared a video showing what happened on their social media pages. Dust devils form when a pocket of hot air near the surface rises quickly through cooler air above it, forming an updraft.
They tweeted: "Here's something you don't see every day! This is a dust devil from a wildfire in Brandon this afternoon. Dust devils form when a pocket of hot air near the surface rises quickly through cooler air above it, forming an updraft. Some may say it is out of this whirl! #HereAllWeek."
One person said in response: "Seen them in The Sahara Desert, but never in the UK..." while another person said: "Scary that like, Brandon is me old home area." A third added: "Very dangerous in this context, as it can carry burning embers a long way to start new fires!"
Dust devils are usually several metres in diameter at the base, then narrowing for a short distance before expanding again. However, unlike tornadoes, dust devils grow upwards from the ground, rather than down from clouds.
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