conflagration

/ˈkɑnfləˌgreɪʃən/

Other forms: conflagrations

A conflagration isn't just a few flames; it's an especially large and destructive fire that causes devastation.

That tiny campfire that somehow turned into a raging forest inferno? You could call that intense, uncontrolled blaze a conflagration. Mrs. O'Leary's cow knew a thing or two about conflagrations: It was that unknowing animal that kicked over a kerosene lamp in the night, setting the O'Leary's barn on fire and sending four square miles of the Windy City into that blistering conflagration known as the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

Definitions of conflagration

1. noun

   a very intense and uncontrolled fire
   synonyms: inferno

   types:

   wildfire

   a destructive burning that is raging and rapidly spreading

   type of:

   fire

   the event of something burning (often destructive)
2. noun

   a violent clash or conflict
   type of:

   battle, conflict, struggle

   an open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals)