Fire Tornado in Australia (Photo : Chris Tangey Youtube)

A spectacular and rare fire tornado shot up 100 feet into the air in the Outback of Australia for 40 minutes and filmmaker Chris Tangey caught the entire process on video. The film footage caught a small brush fire that suddenly blew up into what some call a "fire devil."

"It sounded like a jet fighter going by, yet there wasn't a breath of wind where we were," the Australian filmmaker told Northern Territory News.

Tangey was in the area to scout for potential film locations. When he noticed a small brush fire, he stopped to capture it on film not expecting to catch a natural phenomenon.

The video is going viral now as people are curious about what fire tornado looks like.

Though this one was not deadly, fire tornados can be very dangerous if it produces powerful winds and speed. One in particular killed tens of thousands of people in Japan back in 1923.

Fire tornadoes or "fire devils" form similarly to how dust devils arise in the desert. The "fire devils" gain their heat source from preexisting wildfires.

There is not a lot of information about the range of dimensions and speeds. Many that have formed in the past disappear within one minute of rising up.

The recent one in Australia lasted for 40 minutes and the film footage may help scientists to learn more about the natural phenomenon.

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