As thousands of people continue to evacuate, experts warn that ‘fire clouds’ are making these blazes more intense. Essentially, pyrocumulonimbus – or fire clouds – are gigantic storm clouds created by a wildfire. Once air rises, it cools, and water vapour condenses into clouds. Such clouds are more likely when there are dangerous conditions like high temperatures, little moisture and strong winds. Fire clouds have also been reported in California throughout the summer of 2021, towering 1.6 kilometres (one mile) above the state.