British firefighters have captured video footage of a rare fire tornado, towering 15 metres above them as they fought a blaze in a plastics factory.

The film shows a column of red-hot flame climbing into the sky as smoke billows from the factory after the fire broke out early on Tuesday morning (British time) near the Derbyshire town of Swadlincote.

At its full height, the whirling circle of flame – or firenado – is whipped around by the wind.

The Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, which helped tackle the blaze, shared the video on Facebook, saying: “Whilst we were firefighting at Occupation Lane we witnessed a firenado or a fire whirl.

“It’s created as cool air enters the top of the hot air causing a swirl similar to how a tornado is formed.”

The fire caused extensive damage to the plastic pallet factory. No injuries were reported, but smoke was visible as far as 40 kilometres away.

“We’ve received lots of calls to our control room this morning, as people in the Swadlincote area have woken to the sight of a large black smoke plume,” the Derbyshire service’s group manager Steve Wells told Britain’s Independent newspaper.

“Whilst the site of the fire is not directly next to any residential properties, we are still advising locals to keep their windows and doors closed until the fire is completely out and the smoke has subsided.”