signal fire
Hilltop distress flame
A signal fire is a fire lit to communicate over distance—to call for rescue, mark a location, or send a message.
Stranded travelers build signal fires to attract attention; scouts historically used them to warn of approaching enemies.
The phrase evokes isolation and urgent need: We kept the signal fire burning through the night.
- beaconGuiding light source
- watchtowerElevated structure for surveillance
- heliographSunlight-based signaling device
- flareSudden bright burst
- wigwagOscillating signal motion
cry for help · call for help · torch · warning · relay station · alert · lookout · SOS · hilltop · mountain peak · communication · lighthouse · night · rescue · stranded · lost at sea · desert island · ancient
- fireflame, blaze, flames, inferno, embers
- ancient communicationhieroglyphs, carrier pigeon, pictographs, pictograms, courier
- Arctic Survivalfrostbite, hypothermia, igloo, parka, snowshoes
- CastawaysRobinson Crusoe, castaway, Gilligan, shipwreck, stranded
- jungle survivalmachete, tracking, shelter, water, compass
- signalswaved, nodded, gestured, blinked, flashed
signal firecooking fire
Flames for preparing food
campfire · hearth fire · bonfire · wildfire
signal firesmokeless fire
Combustion without visible emissions
radio silence · blackout · covert operation · camouflage · stealth
signal fireradio silence
Absence of broadcast communication
blackout · going dark · concealment · hiding · stealth
fire, sign, signal, fiery, fires, signature, signals, ignition, signify