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

Not far from this burn scar, the Dixie fire destroyed the town of Greenville when flames erupted into an uncontrollable crown fire, which can gain speed as it spreads from treetop to treetop.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 20, 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