Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| incendio forestal | /inθendjo foɾestal/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /insendjo foɾestal/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
masculine |
| fuego incontrolado | /fweɡo inkontɾolado/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
| incendio salvaje | /inθendjo salbaxe/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /insendjo salbaxe/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
masculine |
The term incendio forestal is the standard way to refer to a wildfire, particularly within the contexts of forestry, environmental news or official reports.
What does it mean word for word?
The term incendio forestal literally translates to 'forest fire'.
Which one should you use?
Incendio forestal is the standard, most common way to refer to a wildfire in a technical or news context. In contrast, fuego incontrolado emphasizes the lack of control over the fire rather than its location in a forest.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Regional variations include: – In Mexico, you might hear incendio forestal or fuego descontrolado to describe a wildfire. – In Spain, fuego forestal is frequently used, as is the phrase incendio voraz.
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the plural of incendio forestal, which is incendios forestales, both the noun and the adjective take the plural suffix.
How do you pronounce it?
/inθendjo foɾestal/
Did you know?
- The word fuego comes from the Latin word focus, meaning 'hearth'. In English, this same Latin root gave us the word 'focus'.
Examples in context
- La región fue afectada por un gran incendio, llamado conflagración forestal por los expertos.The region was affected by a great fire, called a forest conflagration by experts.
- Los bomberos están luchando contra un gran incendio forestal en el sur de México.The firefighters are battling a large wildfire in southern Mexico.
- El incendio forestal es muy grande.The wildfire is very large.
- Hay un incendio forestal cerca del pueblo.There is a wildfire near the town.
- El viento aviva el incendio forestal.The wind fans the wildfire.
Example conversation
Lucía and Alejandro are watching the news on TV.
- LucíaMira, hay un incendio forestal cerca de la ciudad.Look, there is a wildfire near the city.
- AlejandroEs terrible, el humo llega hasta aquí.It's terrible, the smoke reaches all the way here.
- Lucía¿Crees que evacuarán la zona pronto?Do you think they will evacuate the area soon?
- AlejandroEspero que los bomberos controlen el fuego pronto.I hope the firefighters control the fire soon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wildfire” translations and entries incendio forestal, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries forestal, fuego, incendio, incontrolado, salvaje, CC BY-SA 4.0.
