It sure can, just look at the picture above of the people standing there watching the fire, wind gust comes up and blows their way, it could be up that hill and around them in seconds. Ahead of any big fire like that is a billowing blast furnace heat with millions of embers that torch anything they touch. Here in Aus they have recorded wildfires moving at more than 70mph, good luck trying to out run that.
https://www.science.org.au/curious/bushfires
Fire moves faster uphill because there is less space between the flames and new fuel to burn. Also, the radiant heat caused by the fire pre-heats the fuel, making it easier to ignite, also in general, a wider fire will burn faster than a very narrow one. The heat of the fire can cause thunderstorms or pyrocumulus clouds. These can produce lightning strikes, which can start new fires. With the right combination of atmospheric conditions, fire tornadoes can be created. These can have wind speeds of greater than 250 km/h and are extremely destructive.
Don't play with matches
