- Use strong adjectives to convey the scene, like "blazing" or “scorching.”
- Including descriptions of the fire based on the 5 senses can help ground a reader. Describe how the fire and the area around it looks, smells, feels, sounds, and tastes.
- Study how other writers write about forest fires to inform your own writing and give you inspiration.
Words to Describe a Forest Fire
Inferno Few words capture the chaos and destruction of a forest fire like the word “inferno.” This term encapsulates the heat and size of a fire nicely, and connotes a certain otherworldly quality. You can also compare the forest fire to a place like Hades, a mythical setting that really establishes a vibe for a reader.
Blaze This is a great, general term for a forest fire. It’s vivid and snappy, and describes specifically the brightness and heat. Plus, the word itself just sounds like a crackling flame! Other good words are “conflagration” and “combustion.”
Scorching When describing a fire, it’s a good idea to describe the heat emanating off of it. This word does just that, and describes a fire as so hot as to be violent or scathing. “Searing” is a similar word that conveys the heat and damage a forest fire can do.
Sea of flames If you want to be more artful about your description, this phrase fits the bill. The metaphor here compares the fire to a sea, which lends a good sense of scale and motion to the burning. It evokes roiling waves of fire in your reader’s mind. Other effective figurative phrases like “ocean of fire” or “wall of flame.”
Devouring One way to add some character to a fire is to personify it by describing it in ways that might not typically apply to an object. Try something like “The forest fire devoured everything in its path” brings it to life and makes it more animated, like it has a mind of its own. Also try describing the fire as “hungry” or “greedy,” to give it a sense of personification and action.
Cataclysmic This is a good term to use if you want to establish a darker, more destructive picture of a forest fire. It describes a violent, sudden change to the landscape. It perfectly captures the damage a fire can do. A similar term is “apocalyptic,” which is a strong adjective that offers a sense of doom.
Cleansing Forest fires aren’t all bad. In many instances, they clear the way for new growth, which can be healthy for a forest and its ecosystem. A word like “cleansing” can paint a fire in a more generous and purifying light, and is a good word to use if you want to focus on the positives of this natural phenomena. Words like “renewing” or “natural” help to convey a forest fire’s beneficial aspects.
Burst To say something “burst into flames” can capture the sudden and dramatic start to a fire. But “burst” can also describe a sudden and violent breakage or rupture. This second definition can be useful when depicting the way trees might destruct during a forest fire. Another idea is to describe the trees or embers as “exploding,” to lend a more violent tone to the scene.
Glare A forest fire gives off quite a bit of light, especially after dark. You can describe this glow as a “glare,” which is a harsh or dazzling light. Forest fires also “gleam” or are “blinding.”
Smoggy You might not think immediately of smog when you think of forest fires, but these fires give off quite a bit of smoke, which can fill the air with haze and pollutants. When near a forest fire, it’s hard not to notice all the smoke, so it’s a good aspect to include in your writing. For example: “The forest fire’s smoke emitted a smoggy haze over the city that sat downwind of the blaze.”
Stifling Similar to “smoggy,” the smoke from a wildfire can be stifling, especially if the fire is large and intense enough. This smog can affect people’s well-being and health. Using this word to describe a forest fire is a good way to communicate how oppressive and claustrophobic a forest fire can be to humans and wildlife. “The smoke from the fire stifled the fleeing animals and caused them to choke.”
Smolder A forest fire isn’t always a violent blaze. Sometimes, especially toward the end of its burning, a fire is less intense and is more ember than flame. This is where the word “smolder” can be useful. Use this word to describe how a forest fire might continue to burn low and slow after the leaping flames have already died out. You might also say a fire “glowed” or “churned.”
Tips to Describe Fire in Your Writing
Incorporate the 5 senses into your description. Effective descriptive writing often makes use of all or many of the 5 senses in order to help a reader place themself in a scene and bring the writing to life. Ask yourself, how does the forest fire look? How does it smell? Does the air taste like anything? Can you feel the heat? What do you hear? Make a list of adjectives for each of the senses and try to incorporate some of these into your writing to really bring the scene to life. A fire might look bright or intense. A forest fire might smell like charred wood, or even just like a campfire. The area around a forest fire can taste like ash or smoke. Forest fires roar and crackle, which are great words to describe the sound. Finally, a forest fire is hot, of course–so hot it can scorch or sear whatever it touches.
Tailor the tone and mood of your writing to match the scene. “Mood” in writing describes the piece’s overall atmosphere and emotion, and “tone” refers to the attitude of the piece. Decide what you want the overall vibe of the piece to be, and then choose words that fit that vibe. If you want the fire to come across as scary, try using words like “devouring” or “apocalyptic.” If you’re trying for a lighter or more optimistic mood, try words like “cleansing” or “renewing.”
Write about the effects the fire has on the people and places around it. Ask yourself how the fire itself fits into your narrative or piece. If you’re writing fiction, how does the setting of a forest fire impact your characters? If you’re writing non-fiction or describing a real fire, what effect did that fire have on the world and the people around it? This context can be useful to help a reader establish context and emotion.
Read other people’s writing about fire. Reading prose and poems can help you write better, too! Of course, it’s important not to plagiarize, but you can take inspiration from others’ writing and try to see how they’re making something work. Consider their word choice and sentence structure to see what you can learn. Readers make the best writers, because you're learning vocabulary that you may not have known before.
Example Descriptions of Fire
“Soon the greenish leaves, big as human hands, began to shine here and there with the reflection of an intermittent, leaping light, brighter than any that had penetrated that forest twilight. The heat increased until no living thing–not a lizard, not a fly–remained in the glade about the rock…A single flame darted through the curtain of creepers, disappeared, returned and flickered in and out like a snake’s tongue.” –Richard Adams
“The blazes quickly ripped through hundreds of thousands of acres, forcing thousands to evacuate, filling the skies with smoke, and raining down ash across much of the region.” –James Temple
“She got up and stood in front of the fire, having her hand on the chimney-piece and looking down at the blaze.” –Henry James
“The box immediately melts into flames, leaving the body defenseless against the inferno.” –Maria Konnikova
“Pa's fire grows and stretches away from the house. The prairie fire roars and rushes. Then the two of them meet and the sky is filled with smoke, wind, and noise. All Laura can see is fire all around her.” –Laura Ingalls Wilder
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