con ‧ fla ‧ gra ‧ tion /ˌkɒnfləˈɡreɪʃ ə n $ ˌkɑːn-/ BrE AmE noun [countable] formal
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: conflagratio , from conflagrare 'to burn' , from com- ( ⇨ COM- ) + flagrare 'to burn' ]
1 . a very large fire that destroys a lot of buildings, forests etc
2 . a violent situation or war
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THESAURUS
▪ fire flames that burn in an uncontrolled way and destroy or damage things:
In April, a fire at the school destroyed the science block.
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a forest fire
▪ flames the bright parts of a fire that you see burning in the air:
The flames from the burning building were lighting up the night sky.
▪ blaze written a large and dangerous fire – used especially in news reports:
Firemen fought to keep the blaze under control.
▪ inferno written an extremely large and dangerous fire which is out of control – used especially in news reports:
The entire building was on fire and hundreds of people were trapped in the inferno.
▪ conflagration /ˌkɒnfləˈɡreɪʃ ə n $ ˌkɑːn-/ formal a very large fire that destroys a lot of buildings, trees etc:
The conflagration spread rapidly through the old town.