noun
fierce flames; raging fire
Describes intensely violent, destructive flames, often in dramatic or literary contexts.
猛炎が建物を包み込んだ。
Fierce flames engulfed the building.
消防士たちは猛炎と戦った。
The firefighters battled the raging flames.
Compound of 猛 (もう, fierce) and 炎 (えん, flame). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word follows a common Sino-Japanese pattern for intense natural phenomena.