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The Rey Fire continues to burn north and east into the back country, north of the Santa Ynez River. This impressive pyrocumulus cloud makes it look like it’s behind Montecito, but it’s not. Per the CNN website, wildfires such as the Rey Fire, can become hot enough to produce rare mushroom-cloud like formations known as pyrocumulus clouds. They tower above the ash and smoke from raging wildfires and are often seen for miles. Normal cumulus clouds form because the sun's rays heat the ground, forming warm air that rises because it is less dense than the cooler air above. As it rises, the air cools and condenses to form the cloud.