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As a blaze heats the air above it, it can create updrafts powerful enough to form huge pyrocumulative clouds in the sky above.

This is the place to see people jump off a cliff, then rise on the updraft.

On the other hand, the strong updrafts can catch hold of burning embers, lofting them into unburned material, where they can produce “spot fires” up to several miles away from the fireline.

Other researchers have built drones based on studying the abilities of kestrels and other birds to exploit updrafts to save energy when flying.

The science here is most compelling when Selby spins thermal columns, updrafts, trade winds and cloud formations into a history of California’s cities and often manmade geography.