A massive wildfire in southwest France has forced thousands of residents from their homes, including actor George Clooney and his wife Amal, as crews gained control with improving weather conditions. The blaze also produced France's first known 'fire cloud,' a pyrocumulonimbus that can create its own weather.
The wildfire, one of several extreme blazes sweeping across Europe, has prompted widespread evacuations. Emergency crews reported progress in containing the flames as cooler temperatures and higher humidity aided their efforts.
Meteorologists said the fire generated a pyrocumulonimbus, a towering storm formed when intense heat from the wildfire pushes smoke, air and moisture high into the atmosphere. Such clouds can generate powerful winds, lightning and fresh fires, allowing a wildfire to influence and sometimes create its own weather.
The rare phenomenon has been recorded in other parts of the world but is unprecedented in France. Authorities continue to monitor the situation as thousands remain displaced.