crown fire

American  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of crown fire

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25

Example Sentences

This is the very condition identified as important to spotted owls — dense, multistoried canopies with high vulnerability to crown fire.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 2, 2024

That could result in a high-severity crown fire similar to those that have destroyed an estimated 20% of the world’s population of the ancient giants since 2020, he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 30, 2022

It’s also more refined, with its earthy hint of miso-agave rice just below the canopy of the taco’s crown fire.

From Washington Post • Apr. 23, 2018

"Ground fire is a good thing, crown fire is a bad thing in his case," said fire incident spokesman Dennis Godfrey.

From Reuters • Sep. 2, 2013

And the reddish purple was not the sunset but the glow of mighty flames near by, a "crown" fire in the pines!

From The Vagrant Duke by Gibbs, George