WATCH: Massive Alaskan 'firenado' you'll have to see to believe

Wednesday, August 21, 2013, 8:26 AM -

If you thought the prospect of a sharknado was terrifying enough, wait until you see this very real freak-of-nature video. 

The video, filmed from a plane window some 1900 feet above the blaze, shows a violent 'firenado' swirling up from Alaska's Tetlin Junction Ridge Fire on August 16. 

In only a few short days, the video had already garnered more than 37,000 views on YouTube. 

And it's no wonder why. Tim Whitesell, the Alaska Division Forestry firefighter who captured the video, says the blaze was unlike anything he had ever seen in his 20-years of firefighting. 

"A picture probably is worth a thousand words, but there are indeed times when a picture just doesn't do it justice. I've never seen anything like it until now." said Whitesell on the Alaska DNR - Division of Forestry Facebook page. 

The blaze continues to smolder near Tok, the town of 1200, although state fire management agency reports the fire’s activity is currently minimal. Local media reports say the fire grew more than 1600 hectares the day the video was shot. 

According to the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center (AICC), the conditions that gave rise to the firenado appear to be short-lived, with rain expected to douse the area over the next couple of days. 

Lighting sparked the eastern Interior Alaska wildfire on June 25, and as of Tuesday, more than 8000 hectares of wilderness continues to burn. AICC reports that crews expect to have the fire fully under control by September 15.