crown fire

noun

1. a forest fire that spreads along treetops, often at great speeds.

Word History and Origins

Origin of crown fire¹

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25

Example Sentences

Firefighters are seeing more and more “extreme fire behavior” — whirling “fire tornadoes,” crown fires that spew embers into the wind and blazes that move so fast and burn so hot they create their own weather.

From Washington Post

The blaze lashed eagerly over the tops of the trees, the dreaded crown fire of the North Woods.

From Project Gutenberg

The duty of Scouts is to jump upon a surface fire and kill it before it becomes a sly ground fire or a raving crown fire.

From Project Gutenberg

The ground fire, lashed by the rising wind of the morning, had leaped off the earth and become a crown fire.

From Project Gutenberg

A bad wind had sprung up, and we didn't know but that we were to have a crown fire.

From Project Gutenberg

It is almost unbelievable, too, the way a crown-fire will jump.

From Project Gutenberg