A conflagration is an enormous, destructive fire that spreads rapidly and consumes everything in its path. When a small campfire escapes its ring and ignites dry grass, then catches nearby trees, and soon an entire forest is ablaze, that's a conflagration. The word suggests something far beyond a simple fire: it means a blazing disaster that's difficult or impossible to control.

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 was a famous conflagration that destroyed thousands of buildings across the city. More recently, wildfires in California and Australia have become massive conflagrations, burning through forests and threatening homes across vast areas.

You might read about a raging conflagration in a history book or news article about a major fire. People sometimes use conflagration metaphorically to describe non-fire situations that spiral out of control, like when a small disagreement between two students erupts into a conflagration involving the whole class. But the word's primary meaning remains literal: a catastrophic, spreading fire that devours everything it touches.