conflagration 復習

　ロンドンの高層アパートで大規模火災が起き、死傷者が多く出ています。

Massive fire engulfs London high-rise, leaving 'a number of fatalities'

A massive fire engulfed a residential high-rise building in London on Wednesday, leaving scores injured and an undetermined amount of people dead.

The London Fire Brigade dispatched at least 40 fire engines, 20 ambulance crews and more than 200 firefighters in an effort to battle the conflagration at the 24-story Grenfell Tower in West London.

A representative for the London Fire Brigade said there had been "a number of fatalities," but declined to say how many people had died. Authorities said they were still monitoring the stability of the structure, but firefighters had managed to enter the building and had checked as many as 20 floors for remaining people.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/fire-engulfs-london-high-rise-400-fire-engines/story?id=48020634

　取り上げる単語は"conflagration"/kὰnfləgréɪʃən/です。

　『ジーニアス英和辞典』第４版（大修館）で調べてみると、「大火、（災害などの）突発、戦争」とありました。ニュースなどで取り上げられている映像や写真を見ての通り、24階建てのアパートから炎がごうごうと上がっている様子を表しています。

　LDOCEでは"a very large fire that destroys a lot of buildings, forests etc"や"a violent situation or war"と定義されています。(Akim)