This small, swirling blue flame is more than a curiosity. One day, it could be a key tool in the cleanup of oil spills. It’s called a fire whirl or, more informally, a “firenado.” Fire whirls happen naturally and they burn very hot, so most studies about them are how to stop them. Scientists at the University of Maryland thought maybe they could harness these fire whirls for good. They engineered the airflow to produce a typical fire whirl about two feet tall. That vortex unexpectedly transformed into a swirling blue flame. A blue flame means really clean, soot-free burning. And that would be great for dealing with oil spills. The researchers are still trying to analyze exactly why the blue whirl appeared. When they figure that out, they’ll go on to the next step to try and create the phenomenon on a larger scale: a big blue whirl.