<p>Flow and flame characteristics of fire whirls, formed behind an L-shaped wall over alcohol and hydrocarbon liquid fuel pools under forced convective crossflow of air, have been studied through systematic numerical simulations. Methanol, ethanol, n-heptane, and dodecane are tested in this study. The crossflow air velocity is varied in the range of 0.3–1.0&#xa0;m/s. The numerical simulations are carried out using Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) and the results are validated against the experimental data available in literature. Then, systematic parametric studies have been conducted. The mass burning rates in alcohol fire whirls increase with an increase in crossflow velocity. However, the mass burning rate shows a local maximum with air velocity for fire whirls formed over hydrocarbon fuels. A non-dimensional correlation between the flame height, swirl number of the whirl, and heat release rate is proposed. Flame tilt is observed at higher crossflow velocities, irrespective of the fuel type. Temperature contours, velocity vectors, and profiles of various quantities have been extensively analysed at several locations in and around the fire whirl, in order to understand the reason for the flame tilt. Results show that the tangential and radial velocities near the pool surface have high magnitudes and follow a highly non-linear trend along the height, which is dictated by the flame tilt. The flame stretch and tilt towards the streamwise direction are significant as compared to that in the cross-stream direction due to shielding of the crossflow air. The results presented can significantly aid in understanding several factors influencing the formation and dynamics of fire whirls and can be used to design fire-whirl induced combustors or incinerators for in-situ burning of wastes.</p>