flashover

American  

[flash-oh-ver] / ˈflæʃˌoʊ vər /

noun

1. Electricity. a disruptive discharge around or over the surface of a solid or liquid insulator.

2. the moment of conflagration or complete incineration caused by superheated air or combustibles.

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verb (used without object)

1. Electricity. to have or experience a flashover.

flashover British  

/ ˈflæʃˌəʊvə /

noun

1. an electric discharge over or around the surface of an insulator

2. the sudden and rapid spread of fire through the air, caused by the ignition of smoke or fumes from surrounding objects

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Etymology

Origin of flashover

First recorded in 1890–95; originally noun use of verb phrase flash over

Example Sentences

In both the Rhode Island and Swiss tragedies, a "flashover fire" is thought to have taken hold.

From BBC

The Crans-Montana fire bears the signature of flashover, the terrifying phenomenon by which a growing fire ignites much of a room nearby simultaneously.

From The Wall Street Journal

In Friday's press conference, officials talked about a "flashover" happening in the bar.

From BBC

But Vaillant also characterizes the wildfire as a “regional apocalypse” and imminent flashover—the point of spontaneous combustion in an enclosed space—as “a malevolent entity from another dimension breaking through to this one.”

From Scientific American

Getting hotter, it soon reaches 1,128 degrees, and carbon monoxide in the smoke combusts — a flashover — propelling flames further.

From Los Angeles Times