A terrifying moment for Canadian firefighters was caught on video last month when a 200-foot-tall fire tornado literally sucked a hose into the sky and then melted it before their eyes.

“Fire tornado destroyed our line,” wrote Instagram user M.C. Schidlowsky, who was part of the fire crew. “It threw burning logs across our guard for 45 minutes and pulled our hose 100 plus ft. in the air before melting it. That’s definitely a first.”

The tornado itself reached 200 feet, she added.

MC Schidlowsky

The incident took place on Aug. 19 near Vanderhoof, British Columbia, Global News reported.

Fire tornadoes are caused by a dangerous mix of heat and wind, which can then start to rotate like a tornado.

“It’s like a dust devil or a fire whirl — it sucks in the debris and that’s what makes it a fire tornado,” B.C. Wildfire information officer Forrest Tower told the CBC. “They do happen but they are very rare. It’s kind of cool she was able to capture one on video.”