BIG LAKE, ALBERTA, Canada (Reuters) — Firefighters in Alberta, Canada were forced to flee for safety on Thursday (April 14) when a lakeside brushfire triggered a towering “fire tornado”.
Eyewitness video from Big Lake, in Alberta, shows a handful of firefighters from the St. Albert Fire Services scrambling for refuge from the cyclone of flame and smoke. One man can be seen running to dive into the body of water for safety toward the end of the video, which was shot at a distance by a local resident, Diane Logan.
The fire service told Reuters the firefighter suffered minor burns to his face, ear and arm.
“He was back at work the next day,” firefighter, Greg Harvey, said in a written statement.
Local media reports say the incident was sparked by a campfire that burned out of control on the dry brush.
