Crews have battled “fire whirls” in California’s Mojave National Preserve as a massive wildfire crossed into Nevada amid dangerously high temperatures and raging winds.

The York Fire was mapped at roughly 120 square miles on Monday with no containment.

The blaze erupted on Friday near the remote Caruthers Canyon area of the vast wildland preserve, crossed the state line into Nevada on Sunday and sent smoke further east into the Las Vegas Valley.

Wind-driven flames 20ft high in some spots charred tens of thousands of acres of desert scrub, juniper and Joshua tree woodland, according to an incident update.

York Fire
The York Fire has burned over 77,000 acres and has 0% containment (AP)

A fire whirl – sometimes called a fire tornado – is a “spinning column of fire” that forms when intense heat and turbulent winds combine, according to the US National Park Service.

The vortexes – which can be anywhere from a few feet tall to several hundred feet high, with varying rotational speeds – were spotted on Sunday on the north end of the York Fire.

“While these can be fascinating to observe they are a very dangerous natural phenomena that can occur during wildfires,” the park service wrote.

Crews expected to face limited visibility due to the fire’s thick smoke. The cause of the York Fire remains under investigation.

California Wildfires
So-called fire tornadoes have been witnessed (InciWeb /National Park Service Mojave National Preserve via AP)

To the south-west, the Bonny Fire burned about 3.6 square miles in the rugged hills of Riverside County. The blaze was about 20% contained on Monday.

More than 1,300 people were ordered to evacuate their homes Saturday near the community of Aguanga that is home to horse ranches and wineries.

One firefighter was injured in the blaze.

Gusty winds and the chance of thunderstorms into Tuesday will heighten the risk of renewed growth, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said in a statement.