From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfireballfire‧ball /ˈfaɪəbɔːl $ ˈfaɪrbɒːl/ noun [countable] EXPLODEa ball of fire, especially one caused by an explosion The jet exploded in midair and turned into a fireball.
Examples from the Corpus
fireball• Some of the gases from the explosion and fireball may reach escape velocity.• One was reported to have fallen in Fortune Bay, where another bright fireball had fallen the previous month.• We ran to the window and saw this huge fireball heading towards us and growing bigger and bigger.• But other fireballs and meteorites were to come to the attention of geologists and chemists.• The fireball destroyed a prefabricated office building before setting a four-storey office block ablaze.• The fireball has become an ember.• The fireball is visible for about half a minute before the object exits from the atmosphere with its original speed virtually undiminished. 