Atmospheric properties are likely to be perturbed around a forest fireduetotheheat and mass fluxes at the lower boundary, which may change the vertical propertiesofthe atmosphere, namely static stability, among others. Increased instabilitymaydrastically change the dynamics of the atmosphere which eventually feedback onthefireand can lead to the formation of Pyro-cumulus (PyCu). Pyro-cumulus cangenerateprecipitation, downdrafts, lightning events, and have been linked with extremefiregrowth, devastating firestorms, and even fire-induced tornados. Despite thesignificantresearch available pertaining to the p PyCu micro-physics, little is knownabout theenvironmental controls on PyCu development. The main objective of this studyistounderstand the physical mechanisms and conditions favourable to the formationof PyCuduring a megafire event that occurred in Portugal on 15 October 2017, near FigueiradaFoz.

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