conflagration
Sign in to savethumb|The August Complex fire in 2020, the largest fire in [[California's history]]
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A conflagration is a large, destructive fire that spreads rapidly and is difficult to control. It matters because such fires can devastate vast areas of land and communities, as demonstrated by California's August Complex fire in 2020, which became the state's largest fire on record.
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- Causes and types
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thumb|The August Complex fire in 2020, the largest fire in [[California's history]]
A conflagration is a particularly large and destructive fire. In the built environment, this may describe a fire that spreads via structure to structure, ignition due to radiant or convective heat, or ember transmission. Conflagrations often damage human life, animal life, health, and/or property. A conflagration can begin accidentally or be intentionally created (arson). A very large fire can produce a firestorm, in which the central column of rising heated air induces strong inward winds, which supply oxygen to the fire. Conflagrations can cause casualties including deaths or injuries from burns, collapse of structures and attempts to escape, and smoke inhalation.